Steve Ballmer, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, expressed in an ESPN interview that he supports the NBA’s investigation into accusations of circumventing league salary cap rules, while denying any connection to a $28 million endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and a California-based sustainability company.
Ballmer mentioned that he would expect the NBA to investigate any other team under similar accusations.
“Salary cap circumvention rules are crucial for the league, and I’d want the league to investigate,” Ballmer stated on Thursday.
In the interview, Ballmer also acknowledged introducing the six-time All-Star Leonard to Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a green banking firm now bankrupt, in which Ballmer had invested $50 million.
Ballmer has been reviewing his interactions with Aspiration as part of the Clippers’ cooperation with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the company. Co-founder Joseph Sanberg agreed to plead guilty last month to federal charges of wire fraud, with prosecutors alleging he defrauded investors and lenders of more than $248 million.
The Clippers firmly denied any rule violations in a statement released on Wednesday, following the NBA’s announcement of an investigation triggered by journalist Pablo Torre’s report alleging the infraction.
In 2021, the Clippers announced a $300 million partnership with Aspiration, about a month after Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million extension. The team terminated the relationship after two years due to the contract being in default.
The league, which previously investigated claims that Leonard’s representatives requested benefits considered as cap circumventions when he was a free agent, can impose severe penalties if a team is found guilty of breaking cap rules. Penalties could include a fine up to $7.5 million, contract nullification, and loss of future draft picks.
