$32 billion Nike refuses to let Kawhi Leonard be the master of his own identity

Kawhi Leonard is arguably one of the top 5 players in the NBA when in shape.

The former Spurs and Raptors Finals MVP has set an extremely high standard for himself in the league. Leonard is a two-way phenom who routinely torments the opposition with his incredibly complete game.

Kawhi was not expected to be so good. Leonard was not in the top 10 of the draft and was considered a project, especially on offense. But with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, Leonard became a legitimate NBA superstar.

Also read: Kawhi Leonard won his first NBA championship in Canada, but Andrew Wiggins thinks the $115 million star had more of an impact

Kawhi then fell out with the Spurs and spearheaded a highly successful trade to the Toronto Raptors. There, Leonard elevated his status, leading the underdog Raptors to an NBA championship. Leonard’s performances in the playoffs in particular were the stuff of legends.

One factor Leonard owes a lot to as he shapes his game is his giant hands. Kawhi has been nicknamed “The Klaw” due to his incredibly large hands, which are a predominant feature of his defensive highlight reels.

However, since “The Klaw” is unanimously attributed to Kawhi, do you own the intellectual property on him?

This question was answered in court after a lawsuit involving Kawhi and Nike, with whom he was signed, early in his career.

Who owns the rights to the “Klaw”?

They could be the “Klaw” of Kawhi, but the law dictated otherwise. Leonard’s lawsuit against Nike was decided in the early days of the pandemic. The decision proves to be a huge blow to both Kawhi and New Balance.

Both parties would have hoped to use the logo for their collaboration in the future.

Leonard claims that he designed the first draft of the “Klaw” logo himself and that brand experts perfected it.

Kawhi gives “jordan brand team all credit” declaring that he is “no artist at all”. However, according to Kawhi’s legal team, he still created the logo.

However, US District Court Judge Michael Mosman, who presided over the case, saw things differently. The opinion adopted by Judge Mosman was that the logo submitted by Kawhi and the logo used commercially are significantly different.

This distinction means that Nike gets all the creative credit for the logo and the rights of use derived from it.

Kawhi is the Klaw. Kawhi is signed by New Balance. But you also won’t be able to sell “Klaw”-branded products unless you purchase the rights or license them to Nike.

Nike, a $36 billion corporation, is definitely unlikely to easily hand over the brand to a competitor. New Balance may not go down without a fight, but this could be a costly war for them.

Will we see the “Klaw” on the market again?

Also read: $50 million 76ers legend gushes out and declares Kawhi Leonard his favorite NBA player