Steve Ballmer Defends Clippers, Welcomes NBA Probe Into Kawhi Leonard Deal

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said he wants the NBA to “take it seriously” as the league investigates whether his franchise broke salary cap rules through Kawhi Leonard’s endorsement with a since-bankrupt financial firm that had ties to Ballmer.

The comments came in Ballmer’s first interview since a podcast by Pablo Torre reported Wednesday that Leonard accepted a $28 million endorsement from Aspiration, a green banking company in which Ballmer had invested. On Thursday, the NBA announced it had opened a formal investigation.

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Steve Ballmer Explains Aspiration Connection

Ballmer said the company asked him to connect them with Leonard in November 2021, about three months after the Clippers signed the forward to a four-year, $173 million contract extension. Leonard had torn a knee ligament during the team’s Western Conference finals run that summer and missed the following season.

“We were done. We were done with Kawhi, we were done with Aspiration. The deals were all locked and loaded,” Ballmer said. “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.”

Exclusive: Steve Ballmer’s $50M funding of Aspiration allowed the fraudulent green bank to pay Kawhi Leonard $7M/year for a “no-show job,” according to internal emails, contracts, bank statements and interviews.

“What you’re implying is that Ballmer’s investment was a… pic.twitter.com/IiQfihEeKd

— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) September 3, 2025

The Clippers had announced their own $300 million sponsorship with Aspiration two months earlier, including a jersey patch and commitments tied to the team’s new arena. Ballmer said Aspiration also made a larger bid than Intuit for naming rights to the arena, but Intuit ultimately won.

“We even found the email that makes the first introduction. It was early November,” Ballmer said. “The introduction got made and then they were off to the races on their own. We weren’t involved.”

He said he learned afterward that Leonard struck a deal with Aspiration, but denied knowing details of the contract or influencing it.

“These were guys who committed fraud. Look, they conned me. They conned me,” Ballmer said. “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.”

Fraud Case Complicates Scrutiny for LA Clippers

Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg pleaded guilty last month to two counts of wire fraud for defrauding investors and lenders of more than $248 million. Ballmer said he had invested $50 million in the company as part of a larger funding round but never held a board seat or significant stake.

“I had no control over this company. I owned less than 3% of the company,” Ballmer said. “I had no board seat. I had no control. Heck, it was a fraudulent company. It’s possible nobody had any control.”

“They know the rules. They, meaning Kawhi and his representatives, including his uncle. We know the rules.”

L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer talks to @ramonashelburne about the allegations against the organization involving the Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration deal. pic.twitter.com/Har1uHJCtt

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 5, 2025

Reviewing what turned out to be falsified financial documents left Ballmer embarrassed.

“I reviewed, my staff reviewed primarily fraudulent financials,” he said. “Now, should I have sniffed it out? Maybe I feel embarrassed and kind of silly that I didn’t sniff it out, but I didn’t. A lot of other smart investors didn’t sniff it out either.”

Kawhi Leonard’s History of Allegations

The Clippers and Leonard have faced league scrutiny before. In 2019, The Athletic reported that Leonard’s camp, led by his uncle Dennis Robertson, made improper requests during free agency that included part ownership of the team and off-court benefits. The NBA investigated but cleared the Clippers of wrongdoing, though the league said it would revisit the matter if new evidence surfaced.

In 2020, the Clippers were investigated again after a lawsuit alleged a $2.5 million payment was promised to help recruit Leonard. The team denied the claims, and the case was dismissed without penalty.

Ballmer insisted Leonard and his representatives know the league’s restrictions.

“They know the rules. We know the rules, and if anything’s not clear, we remind ourselves what the rules are and we make absolutely clear we’re going to abide by those rules,” Ballmer explained.

He added that Leonard’s reserved personality has contributed to speculation about his business dealings.

“I think because he relatively doesn’t speak much, I think there’s a lot of mystery around Kawhi,” Ballmer said. “That may be why fans kind of tell themselves, or create a narrative, if you will. I’ve had a great relationship with Kawhi. The allegations have not been true. But what’s most important to me is we’ve done the right thing in all those interactions.”