Clippers, Kawhi Leonard Draw New Scrutiny As More Details Emerge

Nearly a week has passed since journalist Pablo Torre dropped a bombshell report about the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, alleging that the team circumvented the salary cap to pay the six-time All-Star an additional $28 million over four years.

The NBA has since said that it has launched an investigation and has even hired an external law firm.

But as the sports world awaits the NBA’s verdict, additional details have come out about the Clippers and their relationship with Aspiration, the now bankrupt sustainability firm that allegedly paid Leonard, as well as Leonard and his camp’s prior dealings when still a member of the Raptors.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who conducted the first public interview with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer following Torre’s report, said Monday on NBA Today that Aspiration bid almost double what Intuit paid for the naming rights to the Clippers’ new arena, the Intuit Dome. 

Intuit, a financial software company whose products include TurboTax and QuickBooks, paid $550 million for the arena, which the Clippers first used this past season.

Shelburne says that Ballmer, who, according to Torre’s report, invested $50 million in Aspiration, explained that the Clippers chose Intuit because it was a “long-standing company.” The Clippers have said that they had sponsorship deals with Aspiration for two seasons (2021–22 and 2022–23). 

“But that gives you an indication of the kind of money that [Aspiration] was throwing around back in those days,” Shelburne said.

The Clippers said in a statement following the report that neither the team nor Ballmer had “any oversight” of the endorsement deal Leonard made with Aspiration. Torre said that he spoke to seven former Aspiration employees in his report. One source, who consented to their interview being aired with a distorted voice, said that Leonard’s deal with the company was so the Clippers could circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.

In his interview with Shelburne, Ballmer pointed the finger at Aspiration, saying they “conned” him.

“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,” Ballmer said.

Boston Sports Journal reported last week that Aspiration paid an additional $20 million to Leonard in shares of the company, bringing his total endorsement deal to $48 million, just $2 million shy of Ballmer’s investment.

Revisiting Toronto

Leonard’s alleged deal with Aspiration may have some precedence. Back in 2019, reports surfaced that Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, who also represents him in many business deals, had several demands for his nephew’s services—including part ownership, which is not allowed under the NBA CBA.

On Tuesday, the Toronto Star reported that one of the requests was for the Raptors to match at least $10 million annually in additional sponsorship income. Teams are not allowed to negotiate endorsement deals for players, only introduce them to team sponsors (which is what Ballmer claims the Clippers did with Leonard and Aspiration).

The Toronto Star also reported that Leonard’s representatives said the All-Star would not shoot any content or make media appearances for sponsors. This “no-show” setup is similar to the arrangement between Leonard and Aspiration reported by Torre.

Leonard played just one season in Toronto (2018–19), leading the franchise to its first and only NBA title. He would sign with the Clippers on a three-year, $103 million contract. After declining a player-option in 2021, Leonard signed a four-year, $176.3 million deal.