SEC now seeking information connected to Kawhi Leonard, Clippers probe

The NBA isn’t the only organization asking questions about Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers anymore.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking information from Daktronics concerning the company and Leonard, as relayed by Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.

Howard Atkins, the company’s acting chief financial officer, disclosed the SEC’s interest during Daktronics’ quarterly earnings call Wednesday. He also confirmed that the NBA has requested information from the company.

“We take these requests seriously and are cooperating,” Atkins said. “At this point, out of respect for the respective processes, we will not be providing further comment.”

Now, this requires an important distinction: Atkins did not say the SEC has accused Leonard, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer or the organization of wrongdoing.

But it’s another notable development in a story that has been hanging over the Clippers for a year. Daktronics designed the massive Halo Board at Intuit Dome, and the company’s connection to Leonard became part of the story last month.

Pablo Torre, Sammy Koppelman and Hunterbrook Media reported in August that Leonard had an undisclosed sponsorship agreement with Daktronics worth multiple millions of dollars. Their reporting cited a source who alleged that Clippers money went through Daktronics to Leonard. The Clippers have denied circumventing the NBA’s salary cap.

The league’s investigation began after Torre reported in September 2025 that Leonard had a four-year, $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration, a company in which Ballmer had invested $50 million. Ballmer and the Clippers have maintained that they were defrauded by Aspiration and did nothing to circumvent league rules.

The NBA’s investigation has since expanded, and commissioner Adam Silver said this summer that he hoped it would be completed before the 2026-27 season.

Either way, the NBA is no longer the only one looking for information connected to Leonard and one of the companies that did business around the Clippers.