No matter what the LA Clippers do to avoid media attention regarding the Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration scandal, every step they take seems to become a case of foot in mouth. Earlier this week, ESPN NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne revealed that the franchise’s PR team stepped in and grabbed the mic from her when she tried to ask questions. And now, the club seems to have gone radio silent on YouTube.
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The Clippers have been rather defiant in denying the allegations that they found a way around the salary cap for Leonard. And their media day was no different. Clippers’ president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, maintained that they had nothing to hide amid the NBA’s investigation and welcomed the “whole truth” to come out.
Given the high-profile nature of the case, the seriousness of the accusations against them, and their open defiance in the face of seemingly overwhelming evidence, the statement would normally have been uploaded to their social media channels. But that hasn’t happened.
At a time when teams routinely post videos of player interactions from media day and promotional content from training camps, the Clippers’ social media team has chosen to go MIA. One could argue that the franchise wants to avoid uncomfortable conversations with fans or prevent the same fans from creating a nuisance in the comments.
At the same time, other NBA teams facing controversy haven’t broken the norm of posting a significant number of videos as the opening night of the league marches on against time. For instance, Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo denied the team owner’s assertion that they had met over the summer.
It was a weird and awkward moment to say the least, one that could signal brewing trouble, but the Bucks’ social media team found no issue in posting the interaction on YouTube. The Phoenix Suns, who have also been subject to a plethora of lawsuits, have gone about business as usual, posting dozens of videos from their media day.
Another reason why the Clippers going radio silent seems weird is that they have been posting rather regularly for about two months now. But somehow, they have just stopped after September 24.
At this point, it seems only the Clippers management can come up with some convincing answers. And while they might have avoided the tough questions on media day, once the season starts, there will be nowhere to hide.
From pre- to post-game pressers and everything in between, media scrutiny is only going to intensify. Fans will hope the Clippers have a better strategy than to go MIA on socials.
