The Los Angeles Clippers are being accused of trying to get around NBA salary cap rules by feeding $28 million to superstar Kawhi Leonard in the form of a “no-show” endorsement deal with a now-bankrupt company partially funded by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to an extensive report by podcaster and former ESPN contributor Pablo Torre.
Ballmer reportedly gave $50 million in funding to the sustainability business Aspiration, which has faced accusations of fraud and whose co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty in August to defrauding multiple investors.
The NBA said on Wednesday in a statement to ESPN, “We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.”
According to a document obtained by Torre and reportedly signed by Leonard, the six-time NBA All-Star was to receive $28 million in cash from Aspiration over the course of four years between 2022 and 2025, as long as he was playing for the Clippers.
However, there is no record of Leonard doing any marketing for, mentioning or endorsing Aspiration, as would be expected in such an endorsement deal.
“It was to circumvent the salary cap,” a source who used to work for Aspiration told Torre on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.
The Clippers denied the accusations in Torre’s report, saying in a statement Wednesday, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
According to the report by Torre, legal documents from Aspiration’s March 2025 bankruptcy filing show parties that remain to be paid, including KL2 Aspire LLC, a corporation that shows Leonard as its manager, which Aspiration still owes $7 million.
Leonard originally signed with the Clippers in 2019 before agreeing to a three-year contract extension worth around $150 million in early 2024.
The 34-year-old won the NBA Finals MVP award both times he earned NBA championship titles (2014 with the San Antonio Spurs, 2019 with the Toronto Raptors). He also has two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name.
He missed the 2021-22 campaign following knee surgery and has been limited in each of the past three seasons due to ongoing knee issues. He averaged 21.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in just 37 games last season.
In 13 seasons with the Spurs, Raptors and Clippers, the six-time All-Star has averaged 20.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in 733 games.
Accusations of circumventing the salary cap are rare. The most well-known case involved the Minnesota Timberwolves getting hit in 2000 with a $3.5 million fine and losing five first-round draft picks (later amended to three) for signing an illegal secret agreement with power forward Joe Smith.
Any potential punishment for the Clippers’ actions would likely not be so severe under the current CBA, which allows for a fine of up to $4.5 million for a first offense, the forfeiture of one first-round draft pick, and/or the voiding of any contracts or transaction that violated league rules.
–Field Level Media
