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Basketball Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24742
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:58 am Post subject: Jerry West sued for 2.5 million by man claiming he helped the Clippers get Kawhi Leonard |
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https://amp.tmz.com/2020/12/14/jerry-west-kawhi-leonard-los-angeles-clippers-lawsuit-2-5-million-free-agency/?__twitter_impression=true
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A man who claims to be Kawhi Leonard's pal says Jerry West owes him $2.5 MIL for his role in helping the Clippers land the NBA superstar ... and he's demanding JW pay up ASAP.
It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which Johnny Wilkesspells out how he agreed to work with West for a small fortune in exchange for help getting Kawhi in a Clippers uni.
Wilkes says back on April 10, 2019, he met West at Staples Center and informed the Clippers' executive board member he had close ties to Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson.
Wilkes says he and West exchanged contact information ... and a few weeks later, in June, West asked Wilkes for help in courting Kawhi to Los Angeles.
In the suit, Wilkes claims he told West he'd only help if the Clippers would pay him $2.5 MILLION ... and Wilkes claims West agreed to the terms.
Wilkes says in the lawsuit he "immediately went to work" ... and began convincing Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle the Clippers were the right team for him after he had just left the Toronto Raptors.
Wilkes says he told West and the Clippers they needed to get Paul George first and foremost to hook Kawhi. He then says he helped connect West with Kawhi's uncle.
Wilkes also claims in the suit he gave West a specific gameplan for how the Clippers should pitch Kawhi during an important meeting with West, Leonard, Doc Rivers and others in July 2019.
"This information was vital," Wilkes said in the lawsuit, "because it was the exact information Kawhi Leonard wanted to hear at the time in order to effectuate his signing with the Clippers."
Wilkes also says he helped facilitate a deal between West and Kawhi's uncle ... in which West agreed to give Uncle Dennis a Southern California home and a travel expense account.
Wilkes says after Kawhi ultimately agreed to sign with the Clippers in late July ... he went for a celebratory meal with West and others in Beverly Hills.
Wilkes claims West agreed yet again at the dinner to fork over $2.5 million for all the help ... but Wilkes claims in the suit he still hasn't received a penny -- and he's suing West and the Clippers for breach of contract and more.
Wilkes is asking for the $2.5 mil plus damages.
We've reached out to the Clippers for comment ... but so far, no word back. |
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Runway8 Franchise Player
Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Posts: 22734 Location: La Jolla, San Diego
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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Funny how there is no action here. C'mon Basketball Fan, we only bring up JW when things are going bad for us. Then we can say, "See, Clippers got JW! Look at all the great things they're achieving! We can't do anything right. JW could have gotten us Lebron, AD, Kawhi and PG13!"
We just won the chip, JW getting sued. Training Day, "Life's a trip, que no?" Joking aside, JW should have retired man. Why in the world did he associate himself with the Clippers. They are cursed. Nothing like this has ever happened to him until now, when he's a Clipper. |
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ducasse Star Player
Joined: 05 Sep 2002 Posts: 8125
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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These details are absolutely nuts if true. Hard to believe. It would destroy Jerry West's rep if he actually did what is alleged. |
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lakersken80 Retired Number
Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38751
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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Runway8 wrote: | Funny how there is no action here. C'mon Basketball Fan, we only bring up JW when things are going bad for us. Then we can say, "See, Clippers got JW! Look at all the great things they're achieving! We can't do anything right. JW could have gotten us Lebron, AD, Kawhi and PG13!"
We just won the chip, JW getting sued. Training Day, "Life's a trip, que no?" Joking aside, JW should have retired man. Why in the world did he associate himself with the Clippers. They are cursed. Nothing like this has ever happened to him until now, when he's a Clipper. |
Probably has more to do with the fact the general basketball forum gets way less traffic than the main Laker forum. I know I skip this section a lot of times. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 9:28 am Post subject: |
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Runway8 wrote: | Why in the world did he associate himself with the Clippers. |
They are paying him a ton of money. |
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mhan00 Retired Number
Joined: 13 Apr 2001 Posts: 32025
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 10:58 am Post subject: |
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ducasse wrote: | These details are absolutely nuts if true. Hard to believe. It would destroy Jerry West's rep if he actually did what is alleged. |
TMZ has a voicemail that sounds an awful lot like West thanking the guy for his help and calling the Lakers a s——show. Looks like there are legs to this. THe real issue will be if the league finds any paper trail for a new house from Balmer to Kawhi’s uncle, but I’d expect that a guy as rich as Balmer can afford to hire the best to cover for any financial malfeasance on his part so I doubt it’ll be anything too drastic like the league voiding Kawhi’s contract. But damn would that be hilarious. |
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hoopschick29 Franchise Player
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 12898 Location: Los Angeles
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:04 am Post subject: |
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mhan00 wrote: | ducasse wrote: | These details are absolutely nuts if true. Hard to believe. It would destroy Jerry West's rep if he actually did what is alleged. |
TMZ has a voicemail that sounds an awful lot like West thanking the guy for his help and calling the Lakers a s——show. Looks like there are legs to this. THe real issue will be if the league finds any paper trail for a new house from Balmer to Kawhi’s uncle, but I’d expect that a guy as rich as Balmer can afford to hire the best to cover for any financial malfeasance on his part so I doubt it’ll be anything too drastic like the league voiding Kawhi’s contract. But damn would that be hilarious. |
Damn Logo... _________________ So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:37 am Post subject: |
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mhan00 wrote: | ducasse wrote: | These details are absolutely nuts if true. Hard to believe. It would destroy Jerry West's rep if he actually did what is alleged. |
TMZ has a voicemail that sounds an awful lot like West thanking the guy for his help and calling the Lakers a s——show. Looks like there are legs to this. |
I think just the opposite. If the guy had a voice mail or email where West specifically said he would give him money to help, he would have aired that. If this voice mail is the best evidence he has (and I assume it is), he doesn't have anything. |
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ducasse Star Player
Joined: 05 Sep 2002 Posts: 8125
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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activeverb wrote: | mhan00 wrote: | ducasse wrote: | These details are absolutely nuts if true. Hard to believe. It would destroy Jerry West's rep if he actually did what is alleged. |
TMZ has a voicemail that sounds an awful lot like West thanking the guy for his help and calling the Lakers a s——show. Looks like there are legs to this. |
I think just the opposite. If the guy had a voice mail or email where West specifically said he would give him money to help, he would have aired that. If this voice mail is the best evidence he has (and I assume it is), he doesn't have anything. |
Sounds like this guy has an attorney and I don't think a smart attorney would have him put all the cards out on the table yet. This voicemail could just be a warning shot to the Clippers that they should take him seriously. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2020 11:10 am Post subject: |
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ducasse wrote: | activeverb wrote: | mhan00 wrote: | ducasse wrote: | These details are absolutely nuts if true. Hard to believe. It would destroy Jerry West's rep if he actually did what is alleged. |
TMZ has a voicemail that sounds an awful lot like West thanking the guy for his help and calling the Lakers a s——show. Looks like there are legs to this. |
I think just the opposite. If the guy had a voice mail or email where West specifically said he would give him money to help, he would have aired that. If this voice mail is the best evidence he has (and I assume it is), he doesn't have anything. |
Sounds like this guy has an attorney and I don't think a smart attorney would have him put all the cards out on the table yet. This voicemail could just be a warning shot to the Clippers that they should take him seriously. |
This is a breach of contract case, but my guess is the guy doesn't have an actual contract (ie, any genuine evidence that West guaranteed him some payment). Like I said if he did have such evidence this is open and shut, and he wouldn't have to worry about getting the Clippers to take him seriously.
So my guess is he's trying to embarrass the Clippers, with promise of more embarrassment, to force a settlement.
I doubt we'll ever really know what happened. Did West actually make an explicit promise? I doubt it. Did West play the guy and let him assume what he wanted to assume? Maybe. Did the guy get full of himself and make assumptions based on fantasy? Maybe. |
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