A former Los Angeles Clippers coach is suing the team for wrongful termination, claiming he was fired for raising concerns about the treatment Kawhi Leonard received for his injuries.
Randy Shelton claims in a lawsuit that he was “fired after complaining that Kawhi Leonard was being subjected to unsafe and illegal treatment for injuries,” Chris Haynes reports.
The Clippers responded with a statement to Haynes, disputing the claims.
“Mr. Shelton’s claims were investigated and found to be unfounded. We have honored Mr. Shelton’s employment agreement and have paid him in full,” the statement said. “This lawsuit is a late attempt to take down the Clippers based on allegations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.”
Former Los Angeles Clippers coach Randy Shelton is suing the franchise for wrongful termination, including claiming he was fired after complaining that Kawhi Leonard was subjected to unsafe and illegal treatment for injuries. pic.twitter.com/qv1vOwhO7l
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 24, 2024
Shelton says he was hired by the Clippers as part of an effort to recruit Leonard as a free agent. His relationship with Leonard dates back to when he was a strength and conditioning coach at San Diego State, where the NBA star played college basketball from 2009 to 2011.
“Following Leonard’s departure from SDSU and his selection in the 2011 NBA draft for the San Antonio Spurs, Shelton was hired by Leonard to continue working with Leonard and preparing him for the NBA,” the lawsuit says. “Leonard and Shelton maintained a personal and working relationship through 2017.”
The document goes on to say that Clippers assistant general manager Mark Hughes “began pursuing Leonard through Shelton” while Leonard was still under contract with the Spurs, with the executive allegedly seeking private health information about Leonard and attempting to to find out his contract requirements and medical situation.
Leonard signed with the Clippers before the 2019-20 season and Shelton was hired at that time. After Leonard suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, he underwent surgery and the team was told the timeline for Leonard’s recovery was 730 days.
“Simply put, this recovery timetable was unacceptable to the Clippers,” the lawsuit alleges. Leonard ultimately sat out the 2021-2022 season while he recovered.
Upon returning, the Clippers agreed to a load management plan that would limit Leonard’s minutes and keep him from playing back-to-back games. But the lawsuit claims the team did not follow that plan when the 2022-2023 season began.
However, Leonard was forced to play significant minutes to start the season and complained of swelling and inflammation in his knee after the first two games, on October 24, 2022. An MRI revealed cartilage damage to his knee, and Leonard was given biologic medications .fix the problem instead of giving Leonard full time to heal.
When he returned to play less than a month later, Leonard suffered two torn ligaments in his right ankle. Yet the Clippers demanded “productivity” and allegedly withheld information from Shelton and failed to consult him about Leonard’s prognosis and treatment.
The lawsuit goes on to allege that Leonard suffered a concussion that was not properly treated and that his workload continued to increase, including playing back-to-back games toward the end of the season. Leonard ultimately tore the meniscus in his right knee during the playoffs, but the Clippers reportedly defined the injury as a sprain despite images showing the tear and additional cartilage damage.
Shelton said he wrote a formal complaint about following proper injury protocols to president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, who responded by saying the concerns would be investigated. However, Shelton claims the allegations were deemed unsubstantiated and he was quickly fired without cause in July 2023.
“We hope that our client’s lawsuit will serve as a wake-up call to the Clippers organization that their players are not just dollar values, but are people who need proper – and not rushed – health and career recovery treatment and lives beyond,” said John. David, one of Shelton’s lawyers, in a statement issued to Haynes and ESPN.
Leonard is currently sidelined as the Clippers begin the 2024-25 NBA season out indefinitely with right knee inflammation. According to later reports, he is expected to miss an extended period. Leonard withdrew from playing with Team USA at the Paris Olympics last summer due to his knee problems. In January, he signed a three-year, $152.4 million contract extension.
