NBA Reportedly Approved $300M Clippers-Aspiration Contract Before Kawhi Sponsorship

The NBA reportedly "vetted and approved a $300 million sponsorship deal between the Los Angeles Clippers and Aspiration in 2021, months before the green banking company signed a separate deal with star Kawhi Leonard that has triggered a salary-cap circumvention investigation by the league," multiple sources told ESPN's Bobby Marks and Baxter Holmes.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver originally said he "never heard of the company Aspiration before" when the news of Leonard's sponsorship deal—and potential salary-cap circumvention by the Clippers—was first reported, though he later said he was in fact "aware of the brand."

The Clippers submitted the Aspiration deal for review because it included a jersey patch, which is among the sponsorships that requires additional vetting from the NBA.

"Teams vet their own sponsorship partners and negotiate their own sponsorship agreements," league spokesperson Mike Bass told ESPN in a statement. "Given the jersey patch's inclusion on player jerseys and its level of exposure across game telecasts, the league reviews and approves jersey patch arrangements pursuant to league rules that are intended to avoid potential brand issues or conflicts with league partnerships."

The crux of the potential salary-cap circumvention is that team owner Steve Ballmer reportedly invested $50 million in Aspiration in Sept. 2021, as first reported by Pablo Torre. In April 2022, the company allegedly gave Leonard a four-year, $28 million no-show sponsorship deal.

One former employee of the now-bankrupt Aspiration told Torre that Leonard's deal was an effort to get around the salary cap. In essence, the Clippers were limited in what they could offer Leonard in a contract, but using a company Balmer had previously invested in could have potentially been a workaround.

Ballmer has denied any involvement with Aspiration's deal with Leonard or that he directed it in any way.

He's also said that he was conned by the company, with federal prosecutors saying co-founder Joe Sanberg "defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million by fraudulently obtaining loans, falsifying bank and brokerage statements, and concealing that he was the source of some revenue booked by the company," per ESPN.

Sanberg has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

As for the Clippers, the NBA is investigating the situation. It's unclear what actions would be taken if the league determines salary-cap circumvention occurred, but it remains arguably the biggest offseason story in the league.