A former Clippers trainer is claiming in a lawsuit that he was wrongfully terminated for raising concerns that star forward Kawhi Leonard was receiving “unsafe and illegal treatment” for his injuries.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles County.
Randy Shelton, a former strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State, first met Leonard while the six-time All-Star played for the Aztecs. Given his close relationship with Leonard, the Clippers hired Shelton in 2019 as a strength and conditioning coach.
He is seeking significant but unspecified damages, his attorneys told ESPN.
On Thursday, the Clippers denied the allegations, saying “Mr. Shelton’s claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We honored Mr. Shelton’s employment contract and paid him in full. This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.”
Shelton alleges that he was targeted and subjected to discrimination and harassment after his complaints despite the team’s assurances he would be protected. He was terminated shortly thereafter; no explanation was given, according to the lawsuit.
The trainer also alleges the Clippers engaged in tampering while recruiting Leonard to Los Angeles from the San Antonio Spurs, actions that “leapt well beyond the bounds of the NBA constitution,” according to the suit obtained by ESPN.
In the lawsuit, Shelton claims the Clippers first contacted him in 2017 after Leonard, who was then with the Spurs, suffered a postseason-ending ankle injury in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference finals. Leonard missed the first 27 games of the next season because of a right quadriceps injury leading to an ongoing rift with the Spurs over the rehab treatment.
According to the lawsuit, Shelton claimed a Clippers executive sought health information about Leonard, an NBA Finals MVP, emphasizing the need for discretion as the player became increasingly disgruntled with the Spurs’ organization.
Leonard eventually was traded to the Toronto Raptors, leading them to their first NBA championship in 2019. He became an unrestricted free agent after that season and signed with the Clippers, giving the team immediate championship credentials.
Shelton was hired by the Clippers that year, but saw his role diminished and any information about Leonard’s health was withheld shortly thereafter.
In the lawsuit, Shelton alleged that the Clippers violated Article 35 of the NBA’s constitution, which prohibits teams from directly or indirectly attempting to entice players under contract with one team to join another team.
Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, said in 2019 that the Clippers operated under the league’s rules in pursuit of Leonard.
Frank said during an introductory news conference, “We never had a conversation with Kawhi or with any of his people. We always felt by doing it out in front that we were being very, very transparent.”
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“We hope that our client’s lawsuit will serve as a wakeup call to the Clippers organization that their players are not just dollar values but are humans requiring proper – and not hastened – health and recovery treatment for the careers and lives afterwards,” John David, one of Shelton’s attorneys, said in a written statement to ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
Last season, Leonard played in 68 regular-season games – his most since 2016-17 – and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals while earning his sixth All-Star selection before his knee cost him games at the end of the season and limited him to two games in a first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Problems with his knee also led to him being replaced on the U.S. Olympic roster this summer and remains a significant issue.
Leonard has missed 179 of a possible 435 games since joining the Clippers in 2019, and he remains sidelined “indefinitely” to start this season while rehabbing inflammation in his right knee.
Carr is a reporter with Southern California News Group.