Kawhi Leonard Paid $28M for ‘No-Show’ Role to Circumvent NBA Salary Cap
Allegations Surface Against Clippers and Owner over Kawhi Leonard Payments
Claims have emerged that the Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer may have arranged a payment scheme involving star player Kawhi Leonard to bypass NBA salary cap regulations, according to a report by journalist Pablo Torre.
During his show, “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” Torre presented legal documents suggesting Leonard received $28 million from a company owned by Ballmer—via a now-defunct firm called Aspiration, which was funded by Ballmer and focused on tree planting. The payment was allegedly made to Leonard, who did not endorse or market any Aspiration products, and was structured so he could collect without active involvement, potentially violating NBA rules.
The contract between Aspiration and Leonard’s affiliated company, KL2 Aspire, LLC, included clauses allowing Leonard to decline actions desired by the company, and stating he would only be paid if he remained a member of the Clippers. Payments from Aspiration to KL2 Aspire were directed to Leonard’s adviser, Dennis Robertson—who had previously been investigated for requesting impermissible benefits. An NBA investigation in 2019 cleared Robertson of wrongdoing regarding benefits tied to Leonard’s free agency, but questions about the payment scheme persist.
Former employees indicated that the arrangement was purportedly designed to “circumvent the salary cap,” but no concrete evidence has been provided to confirm this claim. Leonard’s contract history includes a three-year, $104 million deal in 2019, a four-year, $176 million extension in 2021, and a three-year, $149 million renewal in 2024.
The Clippers issued a statement denying any misconduct, asserting that “neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration.”
While the NBA investigated Robertson in 2019 and found no illegal activity, league commissioner Adam Silver has indicated that such issues are serious and could warrant re-investigation if new evidence emerges. The NBA has yet to comment on Torre’s report.