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, a Finals MVP, emphasizing the need for discretion as the player became increasingly disgruntled with the Spurs’…
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