Under fire, Steve Ballmer pushed back.
The Los Angeles Clippers owner denied allegations that his team skirted the NBA’s salary cap, after a report tied superstar Kawhi Leonard to a $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal with a company which Ballmer also invested in.
“Up front, I want to say one thing very clearly: We, the Clippers, have abided by the salary-cap circumvention rules because that’s the right thing to do,” Ballmer told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in his first public comments since the news broke out.
"The Clippers have abided by the salary cap circumvention rules because that's the right thing to do."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2025
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sits down with @ramonashelburne and denies the Clippers' wrongdoing in the Kawhi-Aspiration deal.
The controversy stems from Pablo Torre’s bombshell report on his Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, which alleged that Aspiration—a now-bankrupt environmental firm with ties to both Ballmer and the Clippers—structured a deal with Leonard to skirt league rules.
Torre alleged, based on legal documents and interviews with former Aspiration employees, that the company owed KL2 Aspire LLC—which named Leonard as a manager/member—around $28-million for a marketing deal.
However, there was no indication that the superstar did any work for the company... save to remain as a Clipper.
[ALSO READ: What we know: Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers accused of circumventing NBA salary cap]
Ballmer, however, maintained that any alleged arrangement had nothing to do with the team.
He noted that Aspiration merely asked him to introduce the company to Leonard in late 2021—months after the Clippers had already signed the two-time Finals MVP to a four-year, $173-million extension in August of that year.
“We cannot pay a player anything beyond what’s in his standard player contract, and we cannot cause anybody else to pay the player anything beyond his standard contract. We can’t do that. And we didn’t—certainly not in this instance," Ballmer insisted.
He added: "Under the rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved."
When asked whether he was surprised by the size of Leonard’s deal or reports that the two-time Finals MVP did little in return, Ballmer distanced himself from the arrangement.
"I don't know why they did what they did. I don't know how different it is. I really don't. And frankly any speculation would be crazy.” the 69-year-old former Microsoft CEO said.
"These were guys who committed fraud. Look, they conned me. I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up, and they conned me at this stage. I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi," he added.
"I don't know anything about the court documents on this. I haven't seen them and I don't know."
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer denies any team involvement in the reported $28 million deal between Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration.@ramonashelburne
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2025
Ballmer said his $50-million investment in the company amounted to less than 3% ownership, stressing he had no control over the firm.
"I had no board seat. I had no control. Heck, it was a fraudulent company. It's possible nobody had any control," he insisted.
Despite the controversy, Ballmer said he welcomed the league’s investigation.
“We have nothing to hide, and we’re glad for the opportunity to tell our story,” he said. “Salary-cap circumvention rules are important to the league.”
Earlier, Torre fired back after the Clippers’ denial of circumventing the NBA salary cap through Aspiration.
“I (obviously) stand by our reporting, 3,000+ pages of documents, and 7 sources inside Aspiration,” he tweeted.“
Torre also raised questions about the team’s statement. ‘What does the word “oversight” mean? Where did the phrase “provably false” go?’ he asked.”
I (obviously) stand by our reporting, 3,000+ pages of documents, and 7 sources inside Aspiration.
— Pablo Torre 🕳? (@PabloTorre) September 4, 2025
Two questions about the latest Clippers statement:
What does the word "oversight" mean?
Where did the phrase "provably false" go? https://t.co/DKnSt0VzW6 pic.twitter.com/8k2MDur2DU
After the Ballmer interview, Torre said Aspiration gave Leonard a "secret $20-million" side deal, first reported by the Boston Sports Journal.
Combined with the endorsement deal, Leonard was owed a total of $48-million.
Torre pointed out that Ballmer's personal investment towards the company was $50-million.
Hi. PTFO can now confirm that Aspiration gave Kawhi a secret $20M side-deal, as first reported by @BostonSportsBSJ.
— Pablo Torre 🕳? (@PabloTorre) September 5, 2025
Combined with Kawhi’s secret $28M no-show endorsement deal: that’s $48M.
PTFO previously reported that Steve Ballmer’s personal Aspiration investment was... $50M.
