Adam Silver says ‘no contemplation’ of moving All-Star game from Los Angeles due to Kawhi Leonard investigation

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is coming to the Clippers’ new home, the Intuit Dome and the NBA Investigation underway into possible salary cap circumvention by the team Getting Kawhi Leonard more money won’t change that, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.

“There is no contemplation of moving the All-Star game,” Silver said Monday, while at NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, to discuss the network’s return to NBA broadcasts (including the All-Star game). “Planning for the All-Star game and surrounding activities operate completely independently of the ongoing investigation.”

This shouldn’t be a surprise. The NBA All-Star Game is a massive production and undertaking that goes far beyond the games and on-court showcases. Players and league sponsors plan events and parties, hotels and venues are booked, and fans plan trips to the host city around All-Star events. Stuple and moving a match to less than five months would be an impossible task. NBA moved 2017 All-Star game from Charlotte in reaction to ‘bathroom law’ in North Carolina; However, it made that move the previous summer (the league returned to Charlotte with the game two years later in 2019).

League investigating alleged ‘no-show’ endorsement deal Leonard had a Clippers sponsor, a company called Aspiration, which team owner Steve Ballmer had invested in several times. Aspiration also became a team sponsor and the Clippers purchased environmental credits from the company – which was Aspiration’s “business” – for the Intuition Dome. The relationship between the Clippers and the sponsor fell apart in 2023 (though not before minority owner Dennis Wong made a $2 million investment in the Aspiration, shortly before Leonard received one of his $1.75 million endorsement payments). Aspiration has since filed for bankruptcy and its CEO has pleaded guilty to defrauding investors.

At the heart of the allegations—first uncovered by Pablo Torre’s podcast—is that Leonard did no work or marketing for the Aspiration, but got a $48 million endorsement deal ($20 million in now-free stock). People with Aspiration told the podcast that this deal was about fighting the salary cap. Both Leonard and the Clippers have maintained their innocence, saying they were deceived and defrauded like other investors and that they welcome the league’s investigation.

There is no timeline for when that investigation will be complete, but it won’t stop the All-Star game from coming to the Intuit Dome.