Clippers' Kawhi Leonard Says 'None of Us Did No Wrongdoing' Amid NBA, Aspiration Probe

On Monday, Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard publicly discussed for the first time allegations that the team and governor Steve Ballmer attempted to circumvent the NBA's salary cap rules with a no-show endorsement deal with the now-bankrupt company Aspiration.

"I understand the full contract and the services I had to do," he told reporters. "I don't deal with conspiracies or the clickbait analyst or journalism that's going on."

He also said, "I don't think it's accurate" that he didn't perform any services for Aspiration and added that he was never paid the full amount he was owed through the contract.

"The NBA's going to do their job," he said of the league's ongoing investigation into the situation. "None of us did no wrongdoing. That's it. We invite the investigations. It's not going to be a distraction for me or the rest of the team."

Earlier this month, podcaster and investigative journalist Pablo Torre released an extensive report that cited internal documents from Aspiration and revealed Leonard—through his LLC, KL2 Aspire—agreed to a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with the company shortly after signing with the Clippers.

An anonymous former Aspiration employee told Torre the deal "was to circumvent the salary cap."

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass released a statement to ESPN's Shams Charania following the report that said, "We are aware of this morning's media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation."

The Clippers also released a statement (h/t Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic):

"Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary-cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false: The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations. Neither the Clippers nor Mr. Ballmer was aware of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government instituted its investigation. The team and Mr. Ballmer stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way they can."

The latest update on the situation came Monday when Torre released another episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out and reported Leonard "was personally 'guaranteed' another $20 million in Aspiration equity by company co-founder Joe Sanberg, according to multiple sources."

Torre also reported Ballmer "quietly donated $1.875 million" to Aspiration more than a year after the Clippers said the sponsorship deal with the company was over.

"It's just inconceivable to me to be both hoodwinked and bamboozled yet continuously giving money to Joe Sandberg," a former Aspiration employee told Torre. "... It does not make any iota of sense to invest in 2021, contribute nearly $100 million in carbon offset pre-purchases, reinvest in 2022-2023 round, claim all of that to be lost in 2023, and then come back for more in 2024 via charitable donation."

From Leonard's perspective, Monday was the first time he publicly addressed all the allegations. Yet it surely won't be the last time he is asked about them, especially as the NBA continues to investigate the situation.

The six-time All-Star has been with the Clippers since the 2019-20 season and is signed through the 2026-27 campaign.