The NBA has found no evidence that Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard and get around the salary cap. The league is now weighing a narrower question: whether the LA Clippers crossed rules on player introductions to sponsors while the sides negotiate a resolution.
Leonard's Aspiration deal
The review grew out of a report in September 2025 that tied Ballmer, Aspiration and Leonard together through internal documents and a personal investment. Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration through his personal LLC in September 2021, the Clippers signed a $300 million deal with Aspiration that same month, and Aspiration later signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Leonard in April 2022.
Ballmer made an additional $10 million investment in Aspiration on March 9, 2023. The NBA then opened an 11-month investigation and expanded it beyond Aspiration to at least three other companies, including Daktronics and Boingo Wireless, as it examined whether the broader business ties created a salary-cap issue.
Clippers and team sponsors
The Clippers told that the team introduced players, including Kawhi Leonard, to companies with which they had business relationships. The team said that making those introductions is an ordinary practice by NBA teams and a common request from players and representatives.
The Clippers also said they did not negotiate or dictate the terms of Leonard's endorsement deals and argued that a player's endorsement relationship with a company that also does business with his team is not evidence of salary-cap circumvention. That leaves the league focused on whether the introductions themselves crossed a line, and whether the team failed to supervise employees closely enough.
NBA and Clippers talks
The NBA presented its initial findings to the Clippers in late July, and both sides have been negotiating a resolution in recent days. Rick Buchanan is the league's general counsel, and David N. Kelley is the attorney for Ballmer and the Clippers.
The league has not said what final outcome it will seek, but its finding on Ballmer narrows the central allegation while leaving the supervision question open. For Leonard and the Clippers, the dispute now turns on whether the introduction of sponsors was routine team business or a rule violation that still needs to be resolved.
