Bill Simmons blasted Clippers owner Steve Ballmer over the Kawhi Leonard–Aspiration scandal, calling the alleged side deals “the sloppiest” he’s seen and saying he “can’t believe Ballmer was this dumb.”
The fallout from the Kawhi Leonard Aspiration scandal continues to stir reactions across the NBA world.
Bill Simmons didn’t hold back when discussing Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the allegations that Leonard received millions of dollars off the books through an endorsement deal with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt tree-planting company backed by Ballmer.
“It was a lot of breadcrumbs. It confirmed a lot of stuff that we've always felt was going on, anecdotally and whisper stuff. All of this that was laid out was the sloppiest shit I've ever seen. And I'm just like, I just can't believe Ballmer was this dumb. And maybe he was this dumb,” Simmons said per The Ringer.
Recent reports revealed that Leonard allegedly received $48 million from Aspiration, with another $20 million in company stock promised through a side deal.
According to former employees, Leonard never did any promotional work for the company despite being listed as an endorser.
Aspiration has since gone bankrupt, and its co-founder Joseph Sanberg pled guilty to a $248-million fraud scheme. The Clippers, meanwhile, are listed as Aspiration’s largest unsecured creditor, while Leonard’s own company, KL2 Aspire LLC, reportedly owes $7 million.
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