Randy Shelton’s complaint against the Los Angeles Clippers, which is related to the team filing of Kawhi Leonard, has taken a new direction.
The Clippers contend that Shelton violated his career contract’s arbitration clause and misled players by providing illicit medical advice. The Clippers ‘ request to compel arbitration and keep the proceedings was filed past Thursday in a Los Angeles County exceptional court. The team’s arguments are presented in detail in the letter.
Shelton claims to have been a key factor in the team’s decision to sign Leonard six years ago in his lawsuit against the group and Clipper president Lawrence Frank. Shelton has worked with Leonard for many years, most recently when he played for the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs. Shelton alleges that Clipper leaders tapped him to collect information to improve their chances of signing the two-time NBA Finals MVP. This portrayal suggests that the Clipper broke the tampering provisions of NBA Article 35. The NBA forbids any attempt to entice, persuade, or convince a player who is a team employee under a different team to visit the tampering team.

Shelton sued in October, raising unlawful cancellation, retaliation and other states.
Shelton’s event is premised on his claim that Leonard signed for a career with the Clippers and that he wasn’t hired to the level of place that was promised, and that he was eventually punished for defending Leonard’s wellness. Shelton claims that after the Clippers had to deal with him after his ACL tear in the 2021 playoffs and his broken ankle muscles a year later, the crew retaliated against him.
The Clippers claim in a short that Robert A. Schwartz and another Quinn Emanuel attorneys have agreed to resolve “any and all controversies, claims, or disputes” under the terms of his work deal with the Clippers and that the arbitration clause applies to all of his claims against the staff and Frank.
If Judge Stephen P. Pfahler agrees with the Clipper, Shelton’s situation may keep court and go to a private mediation approach. In an adjudication, evidence and witness becomes inaccessible to the people and editors. Although arbitration decisions may be challenged in court, judges are obligated to give those decisions great devotion meaning, as a practical matter, it is difficult to issue an arbitrator’s choice. Arbitration clauses have been used to power up a number of well-known sports legal cases in recent years, including those brought by Brian Flores and Jon Gruden and a dispute over controlling the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx.

Shelton is accused of breaking his arbitration agreement so that he could bring a lawsuit to “defame” the Clippers and Frank with” statements that he knows or should know are false” so that he could “make a public spectacle” with inflammatory headlines and to “make a public spectacle” with insults. The team goes so far as to claim that Shelton’s attorneys offered to share a copy of the complaint before it was filed in court in an effort to arouse a sports reporter.
Shelton, according to the Clippers, was” not willing to perform the job” for which he was hired and instead slammed by giving medical advice without “any medical training.” Shelton allegedly recommended specific medical procedures, including blood-flow restriction, even though he didn’t know players ‘ medical conditions and didn’t run the advice by team doctors. According to the Clippers, Shelton’s alleged “unauthorized conduct” “put the players ‘ health and well-being in danger” as well as “undoubtedly” undermined professional relationships between players and health care providers.
The Clippers also assert that Shelton’s contract obligations were fully met. The team says it terminated Shelton’s employment in July 2023 and that despite Shelton’s “bad behavior”, paid the remainder of his salary due under contract, which ran through June 2024. The Clippers claim that Shelton has “misperceived himself as a crusader” who wants to be paid “millions of dollars” for “imagined wrongs,” even though the buyout” should have been the end of the matter.”
The team also contends that Shelton will sue and end up being “worse off.” After leaving his job, the Clippers claim he started a physical therapy practice, but his contract states that “he is not entitled to keep both the team’s salary and his own earnings.” The Clippers insist Shelton must return” thousands of dollars” and that they’ll prove that in arbitration.
In upcoming court filings, Shelton’s attorneys will have the opportunity to try to refute the Clippers ‘ claims. In June, the parties will appear before Schwartz at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles, according to the docket.

Leonard, 33, played for the first time in the 2024-25 season Saturday night when the Clippers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 131 – 101. With a knee problem, Leonard was out. He scored 12 points in 19 minutes.