From $28M to $48M: The Kawhi Leonard Scandal That Could End the Clippers

The Kawhi Leonard scandal just got worse, with new allegations piling on top of an already damning case that has the Clippers scrambling for answers.

Investigative journalist Pablo Torre initially revealed that Leonard received $28 million in cash from Aspiration—a fraudulent climate change company—for doing absolutely nothing.

Now, a report from the Boston Sports Journal claims Leonard also cut a side deal to receive $20 million in company stock, bringing his total compensation to a staggering $48 million.

This revelation raises even more questions about whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer orchestrated these payments to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap rules.

Ballmer invested $50 million into Aspiration shortly before the company paid Leonard, leading many to believe this was a calculated scheme to keep the Clippers competitive without officially exceeding salary cap limits.

But the plot thickens.

While the evidence seems overwhelming, the NBA faces a significant challenge: proving the Clippers’ wrongdoing in a concrete, undeniable way.

Unlike the Timberwolves’ infamous 1999 salary cap scandal—where the league found a written agreement promising Joe Smith future compensation—the Clippers have left no paper trail.

Ballmer appears to have learned from past mistakes, as he was previously fined $250,000 in 2015 for putting a side deal with DeAndre Jordan in writing.

This time, there’s no smoking gun, only circumstantial evidence and anonymous sources.

The timeline of events further complicates the case.

While critics argue that Leonard’s shady Aspiration deal was the reason he chose the Clippers over the Lakers and Raptors in 2019, the endorsement contract wasn’t signed until 2021.

Ballmer likely waited until public scrutiny over Leonard’s free agency demands had died down before orchestrating the Aspiration arrangement.

In August 2021, Ballmer wired $50 million to Aspiration, followed by a $300 million partnership announcement between the Clippers and the company.

Just one month later, Leonard signed a four-year, team-friendly contract extension.

Coincidence? Many think not.

The terms of Leonard’s Aspiration contract are highly suspicious.

It included a clause allowing Aspiration to terminate the deal if Leonard left the Clippers, joined another NBA team, or retired.

This stipulation essentially tied Leonard’s endorsement money to his employment with the Clippers, raising serious questions about whether the deal was designed to circumvent salary cap rules.

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Leonard did absolutely nothing to fulfill his endorsement obligations.

He didn’t take a single photo, shoot a commercial, or even post a tweet about Aspiration.

Former employees of the company revealed that even as Aspiration was going bankrupt, their top priority was ensuring Leonard received his checks.

Despite the mounting evidence, Ballmer has publicly defended himself, claiming he was duped by Aspiration’s fraudulent practices.

Aspiration’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, has already pleaded guilty to defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ballmer argues that his $50 million investment was based on falsified financial statements and insists he had no operational control over the company.

Mark Cuban, former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has also come to Ballmer’s defense, stating, “Steve isn’t that dumb. If he did try to feed Kawhi money, knowing what was at stake for him personally and his team, do you think he’d let the company go bankrupt knowing all creditors would be visible to the world?”

Cuban’s argument hinges on the idea that Ballmer would never leave such an obvious paper trail.

Unfortunately for the NBA, Cuban might be right.

While the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming, proving intentional salary cap circumvention without a written agreement is nearly impossible.

The league’s collective bargaining agreement does include provisions for punishing unauthorized agreements, with penalties ranging from fines to the forfeiture of draft picks.

However, without hard evidence, the Clippers may escape with minimal consequences.

This lack of proof has left NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a precarious position.

If the league imposes harsh penalties without concrete evidence, Ballmer could sue, potentially dragging the entire NBA into open court.

Such a lawsuit could expose other questionable deals across the league, including Jalen Brunson’s suspiciously team-friendly contract with the New York Knicks.

The implications of this scandal go far beyond the Clippers.

If wealthy owners like Ballmer can circumvent salary cap rules through creative third-party arrangements, the league’s competitive balance could collapse.

Smaller-market teams, already struggling to compete with deep-pocketed franchises, would be further disadvantaged.

For the Clippers, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The team is entering one of the most promising periods in franchise history, with a deep roster featuring Leonard, James Harden, and Bradley Beal, as well as a new $2 billion Intuit Dome arena set to open soon.

If the NBA imposes severe penalties, such as voiding Leonard’s contract or stripping draft picks, the Clippers’ championship aspirations could be permanently derailed.

As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: the Clippers are in hot water.

The franchise’s future, Leonard’s legacy, and the integrity of the NBA itself hang in the balance.

Whether this scandal leads to meaningful reform or simply becomes another cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of money in sports remains to be seen.