On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers found themselves at the center of a firestorm in the basketball community due to serious allegations claiming they circumvented the NBA salary cap. The controversy erupted following comments made by Pablo Torre on his podcast, where he alleged that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was involved in a $28 million no-show marketing agreement for star player Kawhi Leonard. In a surprising turn of events, former NBA majority owner Mark Cuban publicly supported Ballmer, asserting that he did nothing wrong.
In a post on social media platform X, Cuban expressed his solidarity with Ballmer, stating, “I’m on Team Ballmer.” He elaborated that while he wished the Clippers had indeed found a way to bypass the salary cap, he believed Ballmer was too astute to risk such a move. Cuban posed a rhetorical question, asking whether Ballmer would jeopardize his company’s financial health and face public scrutiny over potential bankruptcy, especially given the visibility of all creditors involved. He pointed out that the Clippers, along with others, were victims in a scam orchestrated by Aspiration, a sustainability startup that recently declared bankruptcy.
According to Torre, Leonard had signed a four-year deal with Aspiration from 2022 to 2025, a company affiliated with Ballmer. This deal has come under scrutiny after Aspiration’s co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was arrested for alleged wire fraud. Bankruptcy filings revealed that both the Clippers and Leonard's LLC, KL2 Aspire, were listed as creditors of Aspiration. An ex-employee of Aspiration hinted to Torre that Leonard's contract was partly designed to help the Clippers evade the salary cap.
In response to the burgeoning scandal, the NBA confirmed to The Post that it is currently investigating the situation. Cuban continued to express his belief that the Clippers were misled by the now-defunct company, emphasizing the significance of Aspiration’s $300 million sponsorship deal with the Clippers in 2021. He noted that a successful team would dramatically increase the value of such a sponsorship and suggested that if Aspiration had indeed misappropriated funds, it would make sense for them to support the Clippers in maintaining their star player.
“It’s sad that @PabloTorre didn’t take the time to find out how these scammers pulled off their scam,” Cuban commented, criticizing the portrayal of Ballmer as the villain in this narrative. He concluded by inviting Torre to further discuss his thoughts on the matter, showing his willingness to clarify his stance on the issue.
In light of these allegations, the Clippers released a lengthy statement through various media outlets, categorically denying any wrongdoing. “Neither the Clippers nor Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap,” the team asserted. They labeled the idea that Ballmer invested in Aspiration to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard as “absurd,” explaining that Ballmer’s investment was rooted in Aspiration’s commitment to customer satisfaction and environmental protection.
