A disturbing affair is currently shaking the NBA and could have major repercussions on the Los Angeles Clippers. Investigation journalist Pablo Torre revealed the existence of a $ 28 million contract signed by Kawhi Leonard with the company Aspirationa company in which Steve Ballmer, owner of the Clippers, is among the main investors.
Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a “no-show job” with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre.
“It was to circumvent the salary cap,” an inside source says. pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) September 3, 2025
A contract without apparent counterpart
According to the documents obtained by Torre, Leonard signed in April 2022 an agreement over several years with Aspiration Through his company KL2 Aspire LLC. In exchange for these $ 28 million, the Clippers winger was supposed to promote this “green bank” specializing in carbon compensation.
The major problem lies in the fact that no trace of promotion on the part of Leonard exists publicly. Unlike other celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Robert Downey Jr who openly supported Aspirationthe former MVP of the finals has never mentioned this company.
An internal source ofAspiration entrusted to Torre particularly disturbing revelations: “I was told that if I had questions about this,” do not ask them, because it was essentially a question of bypassing the salary ceiling “”. This declaration raises serious questions about the real nature of this agreement.
The clippers deny any irregularity
Faced with these accusations, the organization of the Clippers firmly denied any irregularity. Contacted by Torre, the club ensures that “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers bypassing the salary ceiling or a mistake in relation to Aspiration. Any contrary affirmation is manifestly false ”.
This case comes in a particular context, since Leonard signed in January 2024 a three -year contract extension for $ 152.4 million, slightly below the maximum authorized. This apparent financial “sacrifice” had then been perceived as a gesture to allow Clippers to keep other key players.
The case is all the more sensitive sinceAspiration itself is controversial. The company would have planted only one third of the promised trees, and one of its co -founders, Joe Sanberg, pleaded guilty for fraud after having diverted more than $ 250 million in investors. The NBA could now open an investigation to determine whether this contract constitutes a violation of the Salary Cap.
