NBA probes Clippers Ballmer Kawhi over Aspiration payments

The NBA opened a formal investigation this week into whether the Los Angeles Clippers, owner Steve Ballmer and forward Kawhi Leonard used payments from now‑bankrupt firm Aspiration to skirt the league salary cap, after reporting that a Clippers minority owner wired money to the troubled company days before Aspiration made a delayed endorsement payment to Leonard. The scrutiny centers on a four‑year, $28 million endorsement that Leonard signed with Aspiration in 2022 and on new reporting that investors tied to the Clippers injected cash into Aspiration as the company teetered.

Journalist Pablo Torre and reporting reviewed by The Athletic have produced documents showing that Clippers vice chairman Dennis J. Wong wired about $1.99 million to Aspiration on Dec. 6, 2022. Nine days later Aspiration issued a $1.75 million quarterly payment to Leonard, who was contractually entitled to $7 million a year in quarterly installments. The Athletic also reported that Ballmer invested nearly $10 million in Aspiration in March 2023, following an earlier $50 million investment in late 2021. Those timing details have drawn league attention, although investigators have not yet concluded whether...