Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg sat for two interviews for the NBA’s investigation into his failed startup’s relationship with the Clippers and star player Kawhi Leonard.
Sanberg is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27 in Los Angeles federal court on two counts of wire fraud.
Attorneys for both the NBA and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer recently submitted dueling letters to the judge in the case.
Law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz is leading the NBA investigation into whether the Clippers used Aspiration to funnel payments to star player Kawhi Leonard and therefore circumvent the salary cap.
In a letter dated Friday, Wachtell lawyer David Anders wrote that Sanberg “voluntarily cooperated” with the investigation.
“Mr. Sanberg sat with us for two in-person interviews, produced documents, and, through his counsel, provided additional information that was relevant to our investigation,” Anders wrote. “Mr. Sanberg’s cooperation substantially assisted our investigation, including our ability to develop a more complete understanding of key events. At no time during our dealings with Mr. Sanberg and his counsel did they seek, nor did we make, any promises in exchange for his cooperation.”
The NBA’s investigation is still ongoing. Anders’s letter is Wachtell’s first public comments about the probe since it started in September 2025 in light of podcaster Pablo Torre’s reporting. At the time, a league source told FOS that the NBA was optimistic he would cooperate but cautioned that he could still change his mind.
If the Clippers are found guilty of cap circumvention, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has wide latitude to punish the franchise. Leonard has one year at $50 million left on his current deal.
In a separate five-page letter to the judge, an attorney for Ballmer wrote that the Clippers owner lost all of the $60 million he invested in the company, which has caused “immeasurable” harm to his reputation. The letter also says the Clippers lost $300 million from its sponsorship with Aspiration and that Sanberg targeted Ballmer for his wealth.
“This is particularly insidious given that, other than greeting Sanberg at a Clippers game they had barely spoken,” Ballmer’s attorney wrote. “Mr. Ballmer recalls speaking to Sanberg only once and that was only briefly while they both attended a public event.”
Ballmer has adamantly denied Torre’s reporting.
“These were guys who committed fraud,” Ballmer said of Aspiration on ESPN in September. “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.”
The Clippers season recently ended with a loss to the Warriors in the play-in tournament. After the game, Leonard said he wasn’t worried about the NBA’s investigation or how it could impact him.
“I never thought about it too much other than questions asked,” Leonard told reporters. “You’ll have to ask the NBA, not me. I’m not the one doing the investigation. … I think we’re going to be in the clear. I’m not stressing it.”
Sanberg pled guilty to federal charges that he inflated Aspiration’s finances to defraud investors. Federal prosecutors are seeking a 20-year sentence: 17 in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Sanberg’s attorneys have asked the judge for a lighter sentence.
