Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has denied allegations of circumventing the NBA salary cap, but another report has surfaced that implicates Ballmer in a new manner.
It was previously reported earlier this month that Ballmer gave $50 million in funding in 2021 to the sustainability business Aspiration, which has faced accusations of fraud and whose co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty in August to defrauding multiple investors.
According to a document obtained by ESPN contributor Pablo Torre and reportedly signed by Clippers free agent signing Kawhi Leonard, the six-time NBA All-Star was to receive $28 million in cash from Aspiration over the course of four years between 2022 and 2025, as long as he was playing for the Clippers.
On Friday, The Athletic reported that Ballmer made an additional $10 million payment to Aspiration in the spring of 2023, despite the company’s financial troubles being much clearer at that point.
“These were guys who committed fraud,” Ballmer said in an ESPN interview following the accusations. “Look, they conned me. 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 might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi.”
“It was to circumvent the salary cap,” a source who used to work for Aspiration told Torre on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.
Aspiration still owes $7 million to Leonard, per multiple reports.
The current CBA allows for a fine of up to $4.5 million for a first offense of circumventing the salary cap, the forfeiture of one first-round draft pick, and/or the voiding of any contracts or transaction that violated league rules.
Leonard originally signed with the Clippers in 2019 before agreeing to a three-year contract extension worth around $150 million in early 2024.
The 34-year-old won the NBA Finals MVP award both times he earned NBA championship titles (2014 with the San Antonio Spurs, 2019 with the Toronto Raptors). He also has two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name.
He missed the 2021-22 campaign following knee surgery and has been limited in each of the past three seasons due to ongoing knee issues. He averaged 21.5 points and 5.9 rebounds in just 37 games last season.
In 13 seasons with the Spurs, Raptors and Clippers, the six-time All-Star has averaged 20.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in 733 games.