Multi-million dollar fraud: NBA superstar in turmoil after shocking revelations!

A troubling case is currently shaking the NBA and could have major repercussions for the Los Angeles Clippers. Investigative journalist Pablo Torre revealed the existence of a $28 million contract signed by Kawhi Leonard with Aspiration, a company in which Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is among the main investors.

Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a « no-show job » with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre.

« It was to circumvent the salary cap, » an inside source says. pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1

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

A Contract Without Apparent Compensation

According to documents obtained by Torre, Leonard signed a multi-year agreement with Aspiration in April 2022 through his company KL2 Aspire LLC. In exchange for these $28 million, the Clippers forward was supposed to promote this « green bank » specializing in carbon offsetting.

The major issue lies in the fact that there is no public trace of promotion from Leonard. Unlike other celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Robert Downey Jr who have openly supported Aspiration, the former Finals MVP has never mentioned this company.

An internal source at Aspiration shared particularly troubling revelations to Torre: « I was told that if I had questions about this, ‘don’t ask them, because it was essentially circumventing the salary cap' ». This statement raises serious questions about the real nature of this agreement.

Clippers Deny Any Wrongdoing

Facing these accusations, the Clippers organization firmly denied any wrongdoing. Contacted by Torre, the club assures that « neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or committed any wrongdoing in connection with Aspiration. Any suggestion to the contrary is demonstrably false ».

This case comes at a particular time, as Leonard signed a three-year contract extension in January 2024 for $152.4 million, slightly below the maximum allowed. This apparent financial « sacrifice » was then perceived as a gesture to allow the Clippers to retain other key players.

The case is even more sensitive as Aspiration itself is embroiled in controversy. The company reportedly only planted a third of the promised trees, and one of its co-founders, Joe Sanberg, pleaded guilty to fraud after embezzling more than $250 million from investors. The NBA could now open an investigation to determine if this contract constitutes a salary cap violation.