The plot thickens

The GIST: ICYMI, LA Clipper Kawhi Leonard has been the talk of the sports world amid an alleged salary cap circumvention scandal. Here’s what you need to know about this developing story, initially broken by investigative journalist Pablo Torre, including NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s first public comments on the incident. Drama-rama.

🔎 The background: Leonard won the 2019 NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors, along with his second career Finals MVP. He then entered free agency, signing with the LA Clippers (much to Raps fans’ chagrin). In 2021, environmental firm Aspiration signed a $300M long-term partnership with the Clippers following team owner Steve Ballmer’s $50M investment in the company.

• Then in 2022, Leonard signed his own four-year, $28M endorsement deal with Aspiration, a partnership that held essentially zero obligations for the NBA star.

• By March 2025, Aspiration had filed for bankruptcy, with an employee telling Torre the Leonard deal was made to “circumvent the salary cap,” which limits the max amount NBA team owners can pay players. The league is now investigating the situation.

📰 The latest: Yesterday, a new Torre report claimed that the Clippers’ only minority owner (who just so happens to be Ballmer’s former Harvard roommate) wired $2M to Aspiration in 2022 when the company was running out of money. Almost immediately following that transfer, Aspiration paid Leonard $1.75M — and then laid off 20% of their staff.

• The plot had already thickened on Tuesday when the Toronto Star reported that Leonard’s team sought a similar financial deal from the Raptors in 2019, with the six-time All-Star’s uncle and advisor Dennis Robertson asking for at least $10M in “no-show endorsements,” like the Aspiration one, for his nephew. Truly wild.

⚖️ Why this investigation matters: NBA owners can pay their players more than the salary cap permits, but in return, the team is penalized and must pay a luxury tax, which was created to discourage excessive spending. Silver considers salary cap circumvention a “cardinal sin” and on Wednesday reiterated that if the Clippers broke the rules, they will be punished. Needless to say, we’ll be watching.

The GIST: Seven months after the reigning champ Philadelphia Eagles pummeled the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the perennial powerhouses will meet again on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Plenty has changed since the Birds outplayed KC in February — let’s discuss.

🦅 Eagles need more from quarterback (QB) Jalen Hurts: The reigning Super Bowl MVP and fan favorite looked pedestrian in the pocket despite Philly’s Week 1 win. Hurts threw for a mere 152 yards and connected on just one pass (of his 19 total completions) with superstar wide receiver (WR) A.J. Brown against a meh-at-best Dallas Cowboys defense. Not great.

🔴 Unfamiliar territory for KC: Cracks started to show in their dynastic armor last year, but QB Patrick Mahomes’ wizardry still led KC to the Super Bowl. Some glaring roster holes remain though, like a clear lack of WR depth after Xavier Worthy’s Week 1 shoulder injury. Even magic can’t fix everything.

• Now, KC is on the brink of their first 0-2 start since 2014, four years before Mahomes stepped under center. And they’ll certainly want to avoid that fate: Only five of the 40 teams who’ve started 0-2 since 2020 have made the postseason. Yikes.

🤔 The edge: For the first time since October 2022, KC enters a game as the underdog — and while that doesn’t mean much on its own (Mahomes has won 13 of the 20 career games where he was not favored), expect the Eagles’ fierce pass rush to once again wreak havoc on Mahomes’ offense. Some things have changed; some stay the same.

The world loves a splashy logo three, but the real MVPs? They’re putting in work behind the scenes, too — and if anyone knows the hidden hustle, it’s Indiana Fever superstar (and longtime State Farm ambassador) Caitlin Clark. The two-time All-Star is all about:

🤝 The timely assists that make all the difference

🔋 The backstage hustle powering every win

💡 The smart plays that lift everyone’s game

Every winning team needs championship-level support. That’s why State Farm’s always ready to back Clark — and you — in life’s biggest moments. Teamwork never goes out of style.

🏉 Women’s Rugby World Cup: No. 10 South Africa vs. No. 3 New Zealand — Tomorrow at 5 a.m. ET — CBS

• The first of four quarter-finals features the six-time champion Black Ferns taking on the knockout newcomer Springbok women. New Zealand’s the clear-cut fave, but a South African upset could be powered by resilient scrum-half Nadine Roos, who’s been spectacular all tourney long.

👟 Track & field: World Athletics Championships — Tomorrow through September 21st — NBC

• The sport’s biggest stars have descended on Tokyo for the highly anticipated biennial competition. The events to watch this weekend? Sunday’s women’s and men’s 100m finals, with defending world champ Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles lacing ’em up.

🎓🏈 NCAA football: No. 18 USF Bulls vs. No. 5 Miami Hurricanes — Tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. ET — The CW

• USF is one of the country’s hottest teams, fresh off massive Week 1 and Week 2 upset dubs that have marked them as a favorite for a College Football Playoff bid. But this Battle of the Florida Men presents their toughest challenge yet — time to see if the Bulls are for real.

⚽ NWSL: Washington Spirit vs. Kansas City Current — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET — ION

• The two best teams in the NWSL go head-to-head in this offensive showdown. Spirit forward Trinity Rodman has been on fire since returning from injury in August, scoring twice last week, but the top-ranked Current boast Golden Boot leader, Temwa Chawinga.

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