In the aftermath of Pablo Torre's bombshell report which alleged the Los Angeles Clippers paid Kawhi Leonard a $28 million endorsement deal in order to circumvent the NBA salary cap when he signed with the franchise in 2019, the Clippers issued a statement in which they vehemently denied any truth to Torre's reporting.
According to Torre's sources, Leonard allegedly received a lucrative contract from a now-bankrupt environmental company that had previously been tied financially to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
Clippers statement: pic.twitter.com/2nZR75JCTo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2025
In the statement, the organization shot down the idea that Ballmer invested in the company, Aspiration, in order to funnel money to Leonard. Instead, it suggested he invested because he believed the company was committed to protecting the environment, but, like several others, was ultimately defrauded.
"There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team. Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi's independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong," the team said in part of its statement.
A league spokesperson told The Athletic Wednesday that the NBA had launched an investigation into the situation.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Clippers Issue Statement Denying Report of Circumventing Salary Cap for Kawhi Leonard.
