The NBA has kicked off a serious inquiry into the Los Angeles Clippers after bold claims claimed the franchise dodged salary cap rules through a $28 million endorsement deal with star forward Kawhi Leonard and a bankrupt eco-friendly firm called Aspiration. The story, broken by journalist Pablo Torre, has rocked the basketball scene, sparking worries about money management, league rules, and how far teams may go to keep their top players happy.
Inside the Claims: The “No-Show Job” with Kawhi
On Torre’s podcast, “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” the alleged scheme comes to light: the Clippers reportedly landed a four-year, $28 million deal pairing Kawhi Leonard’s company, KL2 Aspire LLC, and Aspiration, an eco-startup from California. Leaked content states the contract, made in April 2022, either called for Kawhi to show up rarely if ever—and the real work, the paperwork suggests, served a clear goal: work the salary cap system.
A former account planner recalled a jaw-dropping instruction: “They handed it to me, saying the boys in the Clippers and an $28 million marketing deal talks, about money did the marketing part and if I ever fought to this deal, keep the mouth shut and not approach it. Believe it if you want, I laughed. “
The reported contract apparently gave Kawhi Leonard total freedom to say no to any promotional events and wiped out the entire deal if he ever left the Clippers. Of course, this only made fans and analysts wonder if everything was above board.
The Key Players: Ballmer, Aspiration, and KL2 Aspire
The Role of Aspiration
Aspiration, which calls itself a “green bank” and promised eco-friendly funding, took a $50 million check from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer back in September 2021. Just a month later the team rolled out a $300 million partnership, which was signed, sealed, and delivered all while jersey patches and arena ads got the green light. The plot twist came when the bank filed for bankruptcy in March 2025, listing the Clippers as owed $30 million and Kawhi Leonard’s KL2 Aspire as owed another $7 million, marking them as two of the biggest creditors. Since then, Aspiration’s own co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, has pleaded guilty to a scheme that managed to part investors and banks from $248 million.
Kawhi Leonard’s Connection
In the same period Kawhi Leonard popped up as the manager of KL2 Aspire LLC, the name mixing his initials ( KL ) and jersey number ( 2 ). Despite the giant contract and promised eco vibes, Leonard has never dropped a single social media post, done a radio spot, or even made a low-key appearance for Aspiration.
The Clippers’ Defense: Direct Rebuttals to the Latest Accusations
The Clippers and Steve Ballmer have flatly denied any rule-breaking and insist the latest claims are nonsense. They issued a statement calling the charges “absurd” and “provably false,” stressing that neither Ballmer nor the franchise supervised Kawhi Leonard’s separate endorsement deal with Aspiration.
The statement stressed:
“There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team. The idea that Steve put his cash into Aspiration solely to steer money to Kawhi Leonard is nonsense.”
It also noted that Aspiration has actually defrauded numerous investors, Ballmer included, and the franchise ended its deal with the start-up in the 2022–23 season after the firm defaulted.
Historical Context: The League’s Ongoing Caution Over Leonard
This is not the first time the Leonard-Clippers pairing has come under the financial microscope. Back in 2019 the NBA looked into claims that Kawhi’s uncle and business advisor, Dennis Robertson, asked for items prohibited under league rules—like a partial ownership stake, a private plane, and guaranteed endorsement cash—during free-agent talks. The league cleared the Clippers after the probe, yet Commissioner Adam Silver warned he would revisit the situation if fresh evidence cropped up.
The NBA’s bargaining rules hit hard for anyone who tries to cheat the salary cap:
- Fines as high as $7.5 million
- Draft picks taken away
- Player contracts canceled
- Team staff members getting suspended
The biggest reminder of these rules stared everyone in the face in 2000. Back then, the Minnesota Timberwolves secretly agreed to pay Joe Smith, and the NBA hit back hard: the Wolves lost five first-round picks and coughed up $3.5 million.
Mark Cuban Chimes In: Backing and Questioning
Mark Cuban, the former owner of the Mavs, just won’t stop defending Steve Ballmer and the Clippers. On X (formerly Twitter), Cuban posted, “I’m on Team Ballmer. If he tried to slide Kawhi money, would he really risk the company going bust? They got scammed by Aspiration.”
Cuban keeps saying the issue is the allegedly fraudulent firm, not the Clips. He even slammed the NBA reporter for not digging deeper into the Aspiration angle.
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers’ Long-Term Picture
Kawhi Leonard, who has two NBA championships and six All-Star nods, has been the Clippers’ franchise player ever since he signed with them back in 2019. His recent extensions—one for $176 million over four years in 2021 and another for $153 million over three years in 2024—were considered player-friendly, helping the front office keep long-term salary flexibility.
Still, the wording “team-friendly” gets turned upside-down if the league determines the Clippers skirted salary-cap rules. Here’s what could happen:
- Leonard’s deal could be ripped up.
- LA might surrender several draft picks and pay extraordinary fines.
- The team’s image would take a hit that might last for years.
The NBA’s Next Steps
The league is already “starting an investigation” and will review financial docs, player contracts, and any messages shared between the Clippers, Steve Ballmer, Aspiration, and Kawhi’s agents. Given the intricate details and the ongoing federal review of Aspiration, expect the probe to last several months. The Clippers said they will “fully abide by the NBA’s rules” and promised to assist the review.
Conclusion: A High-Stakes Drama Unfolds
Right now, the heat is on the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard like never before, and it’s the kind of moment when the league must flex its rulebooks. Are the charges a sneaky salary-cap workaround, or is it a larger mess where player and team got caught in a corporate swindle? As the league digs deeper, fans and insiders are counting every revealed detail.
Whatever the final whistle sounds like, the fallout is set to mark the franchise’s blueprint for years and could add a dramatic final act to Kawhi Leonard’s already legendary storyline. Keep checking in—this one’s still all over the court and nowhere near a final score yet.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/03/sport/basketball-nba-investigating-clippers
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