The NBA investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement take care of now bankrupt workforce sponsor Aspiration — which a bombshell investigation by the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast known as a “no-show” deal designed to be wage cap circumvention — is now underway. More than likely will probably be months, perhaps into 2026, earlier than now we have the outcomes and any potential penalties for the Clippers and proprietor Steve Ballmer.
That hasn’t stopped everybody across the league from speaking in regards to the case.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, showing Tuesday on the Sports activities Enterprise Journal’s AXS DRIVE occasion in Los Angeles, mentioned the league will unravel what is going on.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver as we speak, on the Entrance Workplace Sports activities convention, on the Kawhi/Clippers/Aspiration cap circumvention investigation: “I do not know something about Kawhi’s deal. Present, no present; we’ll actually discover out.”
He additionally promised, “We are going to unravel it.”
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) September 16, 2025
Silver continues to sound like a cautious lawyer in coping with this.
Ballmer continues to precise his innocence and mentioned that once more on the similar occasion Silver was at (they didn’t converse on the similar time). Listed below are highlights of the Clippers’ house owners’ feedback, by way of the Sports activities Enterprise Journal.
“This isn’t a enjoyable factor to be by means of. I used to be personally defrauded by means of our interactions with the corporate and a few of the employees… However the essential factor is, our relationship with the corporate and our participant’s relationship with the corporate had been impartial, which is essential beneath the foundations of the NBA. I really feel fairly assured in that, that we abided [by] the foundations. So, I welcome the investigation that the NBA is doing. It’s a good way, from our perspective, to get the information on the market…
“It’s a complete lot extra enjoyable to be highlighted for constructing an important enviornment. However this too shall cross. And like I mentioned, I really feel excellent about what we did, and we welcome the NBA looking at it and hopefully agreeing with us.”
The fundamentals of the case, as we all know them, lay out like this: In September of 2021, Ballmer made a $50 million funding in Aspiration, a “inexperienced financial institution” firm whose mannequin was to plant bushes to construct up carbon credit, which it might in flip promote to firms that wanted them. Not lengthy after, Kawhi Leonard agreed to a four-year, $178 million max contract extension with the Clippers. Aspiration went on to grow to be a Clippers’ sponsor in a deal reportedly value round $300 million. The corporate additionally reached an endorsement take care of Leonard, initially for $28 million, however later one other $20 million in inventory was added to the settlement (that inventory is now nugatory), bringing Leonard’s endorsement deal to $48 million complete.
The troubling level for Leonard and the Clippers is that he appeared to do no work for this endorsement cash, which is why it was described as a “no-show” job. There is no such thing as a proof that he did any advertising or different promotional work for the corporate, nor did he even submit on social media in regards to the firm. Whereas the corporate’s former CEO mentioned the contract had work necessities, none of that work is clear. That smells fishy.
Two different issues appear onerous to elucidate. By December 2022, Aspiration was struggling to make payroll and keep in enterprise. They had been beneath investigation and had been additionally late on a $1.75 million cost as a result of Leonard. That’s when Clippers minority proprietor Dennis Wong made a $2 million funding within the firm, and 9 days later, Leonard was paid. Then, in March of 2023, Ballmer stepped in and made one other $10 million funding in Aspiration, seeming to throw good cash after unhealthy.
Silver mentioned beforehand that the burden of proof is on the NBA, the group making the accusation, not on the Clippers (although lots of people across the league suppose the tsunami of circumstantial proof towards the Clippers shifts at the least a few of the burden onto them). Ballmer has persistently and vehemently denied any wrongdoing by himself or the Clippers, saying there’s a separation between the workforce’s take care of Aspiration and the corporate’s endorsement take care of Leonard.
For now, everyone seems to be ready on the league’s investigation (being achieved by an out of doors regulation agency). That hasn’t stopped everybody from speaking about what will occur subsequent.
