Former Los Angeles Clippers center Daniel Theis has emerged as another NBA figure connected to Rhode Island FC amid Pablo Torre’s ongoing investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s business relationships.
Position
C
Age
34
Height
206 cm
Weight
110 kg
Birth place
Salzgitter, Germany
On the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, Torre highlighted that Rhode Island FC publicly welcomed Theis into its ownership group in March 2023.
The connection attracted attention because, according to Torre’s reporting, Leonard, his uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson, and Leonard’s former agent Mitch Frankel also acquired ownership interests in the soccer club – but their involvement was never publicly promoted by RIFC.
There is no evidence presented in the podcast that Theis committed any wrongdoing or that his investment was connected to the LA Clippers.
Torre explicitly acknowledged that the overlap could be coincidental.
Rhode Island FC publicly announced Daniel Theis as an owner
During the podcast, former Miami Marlins president David Samson read Rhode Island FC’s March 2023 announcement welcoming Theis:
“Squad keeps getting stronger and taller! We are thrilled to welcome Daniel Theis to the RIFC ownership group!”
The investment was also reported publicly at the time as Rhode Island FC sought additional private funding for its team and stadium project.
Torre questioned why the club publicly promoted Theis’ involvement while remaining silent about a considerably more prominent NBA investor.
“I guess the question here immediately is why would you tweet out NBA journeyman Daniel Theis, who is still in the league at this point?” Torre said. “Why would you tweet out that he’s joining your ownership group but not the NBA superstar in your investor stack?”
Rhode Island FC told the podcast that its policy is to keep individual investment stakes, valuations, and shareholdings confidential unless that information has already been made public.
Credit Maximilian Haupt/dpa – Scanpix
Theis later joined Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers
The timing gained additional relevance because Theis later became Leonard’s teammate in Los Angeles.
The Indiana Pacers waived Theis on November 15, 2023, and he signed with the Clippers two days later. The German center immediately made his debut against the Houston Rockets, recording two points and three rebounds in just over 10 minutes.
Torre raised the coincidence during the podcast.
“I’m going to cast aside the pretty interesting coincidence that Daniel Theis happened to sign with what team during the 2023-24 season?” he asked.
“Was he a Clipper for a little bit of time?” Amin Elhassan responded.
“Of course he was,” Torre said. “But we’re going to cast that aside because maybe that’s a coincidence. There’s only so many teams in the NBA.”
Theis played 59 games for Los Angeles during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.1 minutes per appearance. He shot 53.6% from the field and 37.1% from the three-point range.
His Rhode Island FC investment preceded his Clippers signing by approximately eight months.
Credit PSNEWZ/Scanpix
Daniel Theis representative did not answer podcast questions
According to Torre, a representative for Theis initially expressed interest in arranging an interview with WPRI, the Rhode Island television station collaborating on the investigation.
However, the representative subsequently stopped responding to questions about Theis’ involvement with the soccer club.
“A rep for Daniel Theis, after initially showing interest in scheduling an interview with Theis and WPRI, ghosted our local news friends,” Torre said. “Didn’t respond to Eli’s questions about his involvement with the team.”
The podcast did not report the size of Theis’ investment, when he first became involved in negotiations with RIFC, or whether he had any business relationship with Leonard, Robertson, or Frankel.
Kawhi Leonard reportedly invested through two LLCs
According to Torre’s investigation, Leonard registered two companies on January 2, 2024: KL2 RIFC LLC and KL2 RIFC Real Estate LLC.
The companies were formed eight days before Leonard signed his three-year Clippers extension on January 10.
“The week before Kawhi Leonard gave the Clippers that deeply atypical hometown discount, Team Kawhi had started two new LLCs, which are still active today: KL2 RIFC LLC and KL2 RIFC Real Estate LLC,” Torre said.
Torre reported that Leonard, Robertson, and Frankel were part of Rhode Island FC’s investor group, with their interests also extending to the real estate development surrounding the team’s stadium.
However, unlike Theis, Leonard was never formally introduced by RIFC as an investor, did not appear in the club’s promotional materials, and was not known to have attended a match.
The podcast said it asked the Clippers whether the organization knew about the ownership stakes held by Leonard and his representatives, as well as whether the NBA’s investigators had examined the RIFC investment. According to Torre, the Clippers did not respond.
Credit Getty Images via AFP-SCANPIX
Podcast does not accuse Theis of wrongdoing
Theis’ presence in the story is notable because he represents a publicly disclosed NBA investor in the same club in which Leonard and his former representatives allegedly invested privately.
However, the podcast did not produce evidence that Theis’ investment influenced his later Clippers contract, that the Clippers helped arrange his RIFC involvement, or that he participated in any alleged salary-cap circumvention.
Theis was already an RIFC owner months before joining Los Angeles, and his Clippers move came shortly after Indiana waived him, when Los Angeles needed another backup center.
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