LOS ANGELES (Diya TV) — Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers are facing new questions after reports surfaced that the star forward signed a multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with a fraudulent company tied to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. According to documents obtained by journalist Pablo Torre, Leonard signed a $28 million contract in April 2022 with Aspiration, Inc., a Los Angeles-based tree-planting company. The agreement promised Leonard $7 million per year over four years through his LLC, KL2 Aspire.
The company filed for bankruptcy in March 2025 after co-founder Joe Sanberg was arrested on fraud charges. Torre revealed the details on his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out, citing evidence that suggests the endorsement deal may have been structured to “circumvent the NBA salary cap.”
An anonymous former employee of Aspiration told Torre that Leonard was the highest-paid marketer for the company. However, the source said Leonard never endorsed the business publicly and had no actual promotional duties. “The single largest payment to an individual for marketing that Aspiration ever made has completely evaded all press,” the former employee said.
Aspiration raised more than $50 million from investors, including Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to Torre’s reporting. The documents show Leonard’s deal contained a clause ending the partnership if he left the Clippers, further fueling speculation that the arrangement was tied to his team contract.
The endorsement agreement stands out because Leonard never once referenced Aspiration in interviews, on social media, or during public appearances. Despite the company branding itself as a leader in “green investing” and tree-planting initiatives, Leonard remained silent throughout the partnership. The Clippers quickly stated in responded to the report. “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 said.
NBA rules prohibit teams from using outside business deals to boost player compensation. If proven true, such an arrangement could result in severe penalties, including fines, suspensions, or even the loss of draft picks.
The league has not yet commented on the matter. It remains unclear whether an official investigation will follow Torre’s report.
Aspiration once billed itself as an environmentally focused financial services company. It raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors and marketed itself as a sustainable alternative to traditional banks. But by early 2025, the company collapsed amid allegations of fraud and mismanagement.
Bankruptcy filings list KL2 Aspire LLC among the company’s creditors. Documents confirm the four-year, $28 million pact with Leonard. Despite being the company’s top-paid marketer, Leonard was reportedly never asked to perform any duties.
Sanberg, Aspiration’s co-founder, now faces criminal charges related to the company’s financial practices. The bankruptcy exposed a web of questionable payments and contracts, including the deal with Leonard. Leonard, known for his private nature, has not spoken publicly about the report. He remains one of the NBA’s most high-profile stars, with two Finals MVP awards and a reputation for quiet dominance on the court.
But this revelation puts new scrutiny on his relationship with the Clippers and Ballmer. If investigators find that the endorsement deal was a hidden form of compensation, the NBA could be forced to act. For now, the allegations raise difficult questions about how player endorsements intersect with team ownership. While off-court business partnerships are common in the NBA, any arrangement tied directly to player contracts risks violating league rules.
The situation leaves Leonard, Ballmer, and the Clippers under a cloud of uncertainty. Torre’s reporting has already sparked widespread attention, and more details may surface as Aspiration’s bankruptcy case moves forward. The NBA has punished teams before for salary cap violations, but few cases have involved star players with this level of prominence. Leonard’s alleged $28 million “no-show job” could mark a major test of how the league enforces its rules.
For now, the Clippers stand by their denial, insisting that neither the team nor its owner engaged in misconduct. But with documents, insider accounts, and a federal fraud case surrounding Aspiration, the controversy is far from over.
