The Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer have been accused of circumventing the NBA cap after they allegedly paid Kawhi Leonard $28 million for a “no-show job,” according to Pablo Torre.
In the latest episode of “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” Torre revealed his findings from several court documents that Leonard agreed to a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration — a now-bankrupt tree-planting company that was funded by Ballmer — in April 2022.
Ballmer reportedly funded the company with $50 million. Aspiration filed for bankruptcy in March 2025 and is under federal investigation for fraud.
An LLC under the name “KL2 Aspire” was among the list of creditors and, according to Torre, is managed by Leonard. Aspiration and KL2 Aspire agreed the former would pay the latter $7 million a year over the course of the four-year contract.
Torre tried to find instances of Leonard endorsing Aspiration, but was unable to do so. The documents also showed the the company still owes Leonard $7 million.
The endorsement deal, however, paid Leonard to do nothing, and could be voided if Leonard left the Clippers.
Torre said an unnamed former employee of Aspiration confirmed to him that the endorsement deal was agreed upon so the Clippers could “circumvent the salary cap” because it would pay the Clippers star more than his contract — which goes against the CBA.
If this is found to be true, the Clippers could face penalties including a fine up to $7.5 million, forfeiting future draft picks and suspension of players or personnel involved in the violation of the CBA.
The NBA released a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.”
The Clippers denied the allegations to Torre:
“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration,” the team said. “Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
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