Did Kawhi Leonard Get Snubbed From The All-Star Game Because Of The Aspiration Controversy?

On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver added Kawhi Leonard to the U.S. contingent for this year’s All-Star weekend. To say that there are layers to this decision would be a huge understatement.

For starters, Clippers fans are asking themselves: In the first place, why didn’t Leonard make the All-Star team outright?

It was a long shot, of course, for the two-time NBA champion to win the fan popularity vote that would have garnered him the status of All-Star starter. However, there was a solid argument to be made for Leonard (27.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 49.7% FG shooting) to be selected as a reserve for the U.S. pool. The problem was, NBA coaches (who have the privilege of voting for All-Star reserves) apparently didn’t think too highly of Leonard’s 2025-26 performance.

Unless, of course, they had another reason that had nothing to do with basketball statistics.

On Monday’s edition of “NBA Today,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst floated an interesting theory. “Did he not make this team because the coaches didn’t vote due to the improper contract?”

Windhorst danced around his words, but everyone in the NBA community knew exactly what he was talking about. This past offseason, Leonard got caught up in allegations that he had signed a shady endorsement deal with a startup called Aspiration, which was supposedly part of a scheme by the Clippers to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.

In the aftermath of the explosive report by podcaster Pablo Torre, Silver announced that the league was conducting an investigation into Leonard. Nearly four months later, Silver is handing Leonard the distinction of his seventh All-Star selection.

Why would Silver select Leonard over other deserving athletes like Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, or Michael Porter Jr.? The 2026 All-Star venue may have something to do with it, as the Clippers’ home turf of Intuit Dome takes center stage on the weekend of February 13 to 15.

Leonard’s selection makes sense in that regard. Pundits, however, have one more nagging thought: Why not Leonard’s teammate James Harden?

While the All-Star festivities typically offer validation of the best performers in the NBA up to the season’s midway point, there are several questions that arise as well. It’s no exaggeration to say that Kawhi Leonard is one huge question mark at the moment.