Los Angeles Clippers executive Jerry West is being sued by a man who claims that he was never paid for his role in helping convince Kawhi Leonard to sign with the Clippers last year.
Johnny Wilkes is suing West for breach of contract and is asking for $2.5 million plus damages. The specific amount is the alleged amount that Wilkes claims he was set to receive for his work.
In the lawsuit, Wilkes claims that he met with West at Staples Center on April 10, 2019 and indicates that he is closely connected with Leonard and Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle.
Wilkes claims that two months later, West asked him to help in the Clippers’ ultimately successful pursuit of Leonard.
After reportedly making his request for $2.5 million to help bring Leonard to the Clippers, Wilkes then claims that he told the Clippers that they first needed to acquire Paul George.
George was dealt to the Clippers, with a subsequent meeting between Leonard and the team reportedly aided by Wilkes’ game plan.
“This information was vital,” Wilkes said in the lawsuit, “because it was the exact information Kawhi Leonard wanted to hear at the time in order to effectuate his signing with the Clippers.”
Finally, once Leonard was officially signed in July 2019, Wilkes claims that he was part of a celebration dinner in Beverly Hills.
At present, it’s unclear if Wilkes has evidence of an actual signed contract or any other pertinent information to make his case. For now, West and the Clippers have offered no response to the lawsuit.
