The Los Angeles Clippers almost granted naming rights for their Intuit Dome arena to Aspiration, the now-bankrupt company at the center of Kawhi Leonard’s $28 million endorsement scandal.
Credit: AP/Scanpix nuotr.
The Los Angeles Clippers nearly granted naming rights to their Inglewood arena to Aspiration Partners, the now-bankrupt company at the center of allegations that Kawhi Leonard was paid millions to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap, the LA Times reports.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard
Position: SF, SG
Age: 34
Height: 201 cm
Weight: 102 kg
Birth place: Riverside, United States of America
Ultimately, the Clippers opted for financial services giant Intuit, which reportedly paid $500 million over 23 years for the $2-billion venue, now known as the Intuit Dome.
Aspiration, a sustainability and carbon credit firm, went out of business four years later. Co-founder Joseph Sanberg has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding investors, including Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who reportedly invested $50 million into the company.
Leonard is listed among Aspiration’s creditors, raising questions about his $28-million endorsement deal, which allegedly required no work.
Credit AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
“This was all locked and loaded. Then, they did request to be introduced to Kawhi, and under the rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved,” Ballmer told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
According to reports, Leonard did not appear in any promotional material for Aspiration, unlike other celebrity endorsers.
Ballmer called the company a fraud and emphasized, “They conned me. I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up and they conned me. At this stage, I have no ability to predict why they did anything they did.”
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