Kawhi Leonard’s Secret Investment in Soccer Club Comes to Spotlight Amid NBA Investigation

Kawhi Leonard is one of the long-hidden investors behind a controversial, taxpayer-funded Rhode Island soccer project.

Kawhi Leonard’s Secret Investment in Soccer Club Comes to Spotlight Amid NBA Investigation

Kawhi Leonard (Image credits - Firstsportz)

Kawhi Leonard is coming off his most productive campaign in terms of individual numbers. He was able to stay injury-free for most of the 2025-26 campaign and posted some of the best offensive numbers of his career.

Despite playing 65 games in the regular season, Leonard was not able to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to the playoffs. The Clippers finished in ninth place in the Western Conference standings and were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in their first game of the Play-In Tournament.

To make matters worse, Leonard has been caught up in some off-court issues as well. Before the 2025-26 season got underway, he was under the scanner in the Aspiration scandal. He has come under the spotlight once again as recent investigations have revealed that he is one of the long-hidden investors behind a controversial Rhode Island soccer project.

After a month’s long Target 12 investigation, we can now reveal that Kawhi Leonard is the secret investor in Rhode Island FC and the new soccer stadium in Pawtucket. Leonard opened up two limited liability corporations with the initials RIFC. Later, the owner of RIFC Brett Johnson confirmed for Target 12 that Leonard, the superstar’s uncle and then agent were all investors.

Investigation findings on WPRI 12

Back in September, the Clippers were in the headlines after an investigation revealed that their billionaire owner Steve Ballmer had redirected $28 million to Leonard. The money was sent to a company, Aspiration, that signed the two-time champion as the brand ambassador.

While Ballmer has denied the allegations, it led to further investigations as the company went bankrupt and defrauded its investors. Ballmer received support from fellow billionaire Mark Cuban; however, the NBA opened further investigations.

Now, the recent investigations into Leonard being a secret investor in Rhode Island FC revealed that he and his inner circle were simultaneously involved in another project as they navigated the collapse of the multimillion-dollar endorsement deal 2,500 miles away.

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Kawhi Leonard’s Rhode Island FC plans

The Rhode Island soccer project has been a controversial one. Most USL clubs have very publicly accessible ways to find out who the team owners are, but RIFC has not been as transparent. They did make an announcement that former Clippers center Daniel Theis joined the ownership group, but there was no announcement about Kawhi Leonard being a minority owner as well.

The investigation – conducted in partnership with the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast and the investigative news outlet Hunterbrook revealed Leonard, his uncle and former agent’s roles as minority owners.

Kawhi Leonard is an unannounced never before disclosed co-owner of this random club in Rhose Island. The big three (Leonard, his uncle and former agent) are not simply financial, they’re particularly interested in real estate, finding ways to invest in housing. Why have RIFC never announced that Kawhi is connected to them in any way or vice-versa?

No known Clippers executive is linked to RIFC. As Aspiration crumbled, those same figures quietly began forming a new business relationship tied to Rhode Island FC.  

Why Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto Raptors return could be delayed till next year?

The hype and expectations were huge when the Clippers signed Leonard in 2019. They acquired a superstar talent who was coming off his second championship and Finals MVP with the Toronto Raptors. Unfortunately, injuries plagued Leonard’s time in LA, and he was never able to deliver them a title.

Kawhi Leonard's probe is still on
Kawhi Leonard’s probe is still on (Image via NBA Central/X)

In a move that surprised many in the offseason, the Clippers finally decided to part ways with their star forward as he was traded to the Raptors. However, the move has not been finalized yet and has been put on hold.

The NBA revealed that the deal will be kept on hold until the NBA investigation into the Clippers is over. It is believed that the investigation may drag till 2027. The announcement was a huge setback for both the franchise and the player.

Leonard spent just one season in Toronto when he signed with them in 2018. He became a legend in the franchise as he won them their first and only title in 2019. After the move was put on hold, the Raptors issued a statement saying they would be willing to go ahead with the move irrespective of the findings.

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