The Clippers' $28 Million Problem: What the NBA Investigation Into Kawhi Leonard Actually Reveals

Six months into a major investigation, the NBA is still unraveling what may be the most complicated salary cap circumvention case in league history. At the center: a $28 million endorsement deal, a now-bankrupt green banking company, and questions about whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer orchestrated it all to pay star Kawhi Leonard outside the salary cap.

Here's what we know so far, and what remains a massive question mark.

The Setup: Money, Connections, and Timing That Looks Real Suspicious

The investigation kicked off in September 2025, led by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The allegations are specific: Ballmer and the Clippers worked together to create a fake endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration, a green banking company that has since gone bankrupt, specifically to dodge salary cap rules.

The timeline is damning. In September 2021, Ballmer personally invested $50 million in Aspiration through his LLC. That same month, the Clippers signed a $300 million deal with Aspiration, making them the company's "first founding partner" at the Intuit Dome. Six months later? Aspiration signed a sponsorship deal with Leonard.

An unnamed Aspiration employee told ESPN contributor Pablo Torre that Leonard's deal "was to circumvent the salary cap." Ballmer admitted he introduced Leonard to Aspiration but told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in September 2025 that he had no knowledge of the endorsement deal and never directed the company to create one.

Where It Stands Now: Slow, Methodical, and Far From Over

David Anders, the attorney leading the investigation, is still conducting interviews with Clippers officials and former Aspiration employees. It's unclear whether Leonard or anyone close to him has been interviewed yet.

An NBA spokesperson confirmed the obvious: "Wachtell's investigation is ongoing. There is more work to be done and no set timeline."

Don't expect answers anytime soon. When the NBA investigated Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver in 2021, the same law firm took 10 months to complete the work. They interviewed 320 people and reviewed more than 80,000 pages of documents, emails, and texts. This Clippers case has similar complexity. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted at All-Star Weekend that investigators are dealing with "a company in bankruptcy," "thousands of documents," and "multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed."

The league didn't even address the investigation at last week's board of governors meeting.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.