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Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior Writer
The LA Clippers say a former strength and conditioning coach asked for millions of dollars from the team before filing his wrongful termination lawsuit in October and making tampering claims involving Kawhi Leonard, according to a court filing obtained by ESPN.
After they refused to pay Randy Shelton, who was fired by the team last summer, he sued the Clippers and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, saying he was punished for expressing concerns about the management of Leonard’s injuries.
In the filing Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the Clippers asked that the dispute be settled by arbitration, as per the terms of the employment contract that Shelton signed in November 2021.
After his termination in July 2023, the Clippers say they paid Shelton’s salary through the end of his contract in June 2024.
“That should have been the end of the matter,” the Clippers said in their response. “But [Shelton] misperceived himself as a crusader and wanted attention. After cashing the last of the Clippers’ checks, he demanded that the Clippers pay him millions of dollars for the imagined wrongs asserted in his complaint. When the team refused, he sued.”
Shelton joined the Clippers’ performance team after serving in a similar role at San Diego State, where he worked with Leonard before he was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2011 NBA draft.
In his lawsuit, Shelton alleged that he was hired as part of a years-long recruiting campaign to lure Leonard and said the Clippers “leapt well beyond the bounds of the NBA constitution” with respect to potential tampering violations. Shelton also alleged that the team’s “mishandling of Kawhi Leonard’s injury and return-to-play protocol has been mind-blowing” and that “the disregard for his recovery process is unacceptable.” Shelton said the Clippers placed more of an emphasis on Leonard’s productivity than his recovery.
Attorneys representing the Clippers wrote it was necessary to “correct the record” against Shelton’s claims, which included that the team provided “illegal treatment” to Leonard.
“[Shelton’s] claims are frivolous: There was no ‘tampering’ before the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard,” the team’s response states. “The Clippers did not provide ‘illegal treatment’ to Mr. Leonard. And [Shelton] was not terminated in ‘retaliation’ for anything. The Court should not be fooled.”
Shelton said his role within the team, after voicing concerns about how Leonard’s injuries were being treated, was diminished, that he was excluded from meetings and that information about Leonard’s health was withheld from him.
“”[Randy Shelton’s] claims are frivolous: There was no ‘tampering’ before the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers did not provide ‘illegal treatment’ to Mr. Leonard. And [Shelton] was not terminated in ‘retaliation’ for anything. The Court should not be fooled.”
Clippers response to lawsuit by former staffer
The Clippers say, in response, that Shelton didn’t perform the duties of his role.
“[Shelton] took it upon himself to render advice to those who had not sought it and that he was not qualified to give,” the team said. “For example, he recommended medical procedures, such as blood-flow restriction, without having any medical training, knowing the players’ condition, or consulting with his supervisors or the team doctors. His unauthorized conduct disrupted relationships between the players, their trainers, and the team, and put the players’ health and well-being at risk.”
The Clippers said Shelton admitted to “creating drama” by approaching players without knowing their medical history.
While he was still being paid by the franchise, the Clippers said Shelton used his former association with the team to start a physical therapy business, noting he didn’t have the right to continue being paid by them while also charging others in his new business. The Clippers argue that Shelton owes them the thousands of dollars he received after he was fired.
Lawyers representing Shelton didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.