Former Los Angeles Clippers trainer Randy Shelton is suing the Clippers organization, due to the team's "unsafe and illegal treatment, in disregard for [Kawhi] Leonard's health and safety and known medical restrictions." Shelton alleges that the Clippers discriminated against and harassed him before firing him in July 2023 without cause.
Shelton is a sports science and athletic performance specialist, the founder of San Diego's High Voltage Fitness. He worked for the San Diego State Aztecs as a strength and conditioning coach, where he met and grew a close partnership with future NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard. Shelton continued his work for Leonard in offseason training, eventually becoming the Clippers' assistant performance coach for the 2019-20 season.
According to CBS Sports, Shelton believes his hiring to the Clippers' staff was "'the culmination of a multi-year campaign' to sign Leonard 'in disregard for the NBA's prohibition on tampering.'" Shelton states that the Clippers' assistant general manager Mark Hughes had met with him numerous times in 2017, while Leonard played for the San Antonio Spurs, asking about the star's health and if he would be interested in joining the Clippers. Hughes continued to ask for information about his health as the 2019 free agency period approached, the first concept of Shelton being potentially hired to the team.
Clippers team president Lawrence Frank would then "assure Shelton that he could join the Clippers' performance staff if Leonard signed with the team" in early 2019. Yet, Shelton's role would "diminish" after Leonard moved to LA. Shelton claims that the organization "deliberately excluded Shelton from meetings and withheld necessary medical treatment and information that impacted Leonard's training and health," as reported by CBS Sports.
In the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, after Game 4 against the Utah Jazz, Leonard informed the Clippers he suffered an ACL tear, one of the most impactful injuries an NBA player could have. Shelton evaluated the recovery timeline at two full years, but the Clippers push the star to return for the 2022-23 season on a load-management rotation. Assistant coach Todd Wright would reportedly rebuke Shelton during a meeting in December 2022, telling him that "no one wanted him around" after Shelton requested a leave of absence. Shelton filed a complaint to the Clippers organization in April 2023 after Leonard suffered a season-ending knee injury, during a first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. According to Sportsnet.ca, Leonard "has missed 179 of a possible 435 games since joining the Clippers in 2019."
Bleacher Report states that the Clippers responded to Shelton's claims, saying, "Mr. Shelton's claims were investigated and found to be without merit. We honored Mr. Shelton's employment contract and paid him in full. This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false."
According to ESPN, Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out indefinitely due to a knee injury to start the 2024-25 season.
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