Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Timeline of Kawhi Leonard Case: What’s the Problem with the Contract? Will Clippers Deny it Strongly?

Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer were part of a serious complaint.

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

According to Pablo Torre, Steve Ballmer struck a $28 million deal with Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. However, Kawhi never participated in any of the brand’s advertising or events, failing to justify the amount he received. Furthermore, former company employees claimed to the journalist that the deal was a way to avoid the NBA’s salary cap.

Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a "no-show job" with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre.

"It was to circumvent the salary cap," an inside source says. pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) September 3, 2025

The Clippers have a contract with the forward through 2027 and will pay an average of $50 million over the next two seasons for Kawhi. This amount is not the maximum amount the forward’s contract could reach, but it was part of the agreement reached in 2024. Therefore, according to Torre, the $28 million would be a way for the Clippers and Ballmer to circumvent the league’s salary cap, an illegal practice.

Also Read: Clippers Forward, Kawhi Leonard Accused of Dodging NBA Salary Cap Rules

Who is Steve Ballmer? A Brief History on Clippers’ Shareholder

The Clippers’ majority shareholder is a billionaire with an estimated fortune of $153 billion, according to Forbes. He is thus one of the ten richest people on the planet. Ballmer is a friend of Steve Jobs and served as president of Microsoft from 1998 to 2014.

Besides owning the Clippers, he owns several other businesses, but it’s his Microsoft shares that have helped him build and grow his fortune. Ballmer was the 30th employee in the company’s history and rose to the position of CEO. Along the way, he gained prominence and prominence until he was able to renegotiate his contract to receive an 8% equity stake.

With his relevance to the company, Steve Jobs himself gave up part of his percentage to keep Ballmer in the company and he built his empire.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer denies paying Kawhi Leonard under the table despite the way it looks.

“They committed fraud. They conned me.”

(via @ramonashelburne) pic.twitter.com/vbbCodEVbp
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 5, 2025

What’s the Final Take from the Clippers after the Allegations?

Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer were part of a serious complaint. This is because sports journalist Pablo Torre released documents about a possible illegal agreement between Kawhi and Ballmer. However, shortly after the franchise vehemently denied the accusations and said they are “absurd”.

“There is nothing unusual or inappropriate about team sponsors entering into endorsement deals with players on the same team. Neither Steve [Ballmer] nor the Clippers organization had any oversight over Kawhi’s independent endorsement deal with Aspiration. To say otherwise is completely wrong,” the franchise posted in a statement reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Clippers statement: pic.twitter.com/2nZR75JCTo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2025

Thus, the Clippers claimed that Steve Ballmer was merely an investor in Aspiration and that the company’s agreement with the player was unknown to them. Furthermore, the Clippers claimed that Ballmer was just one of the shareholders defrauded by the company, which recently filed for bankruptcy. In fact, Aspiration was the team’s sponsor for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons before defaulting on the contract.

However, the NBA has already stated that it will open an investigation into the case . If Ballmer, Kawhi, and the Clippers are found guilty, the league could impose severe penalties, including loss of draft picks and more.

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.