Image Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Sued By 11 for Alleged Secret Kawhi Leonard Payments Through Aspiration

Image Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been named in a lawsuit filed by 11 former investors of Aspiration, now known as Catona Climate, who allege he used the company to secretly pay Kawhi Leonard and bypass NBA salary cap rules.

The 133-page complaint claims Ballmer and Aspiration founder Joseph Sanberg orchestrated a scheme to funnel millions of dollars to Leonard. The plaintiffs accuse Steve Ballmer and others of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud.

The case was first filed in Los Angeles on July 9, but Ballmer was not initially listed as a defendant. His name was added this week following new reporting that revealed details of Leonard’s $28 million “no-show job” with Aspiration. According to the amended complaint, “Ballmer’s scheme to pay Leonard through Catona to evade the NBA’s salary cap was only later revealed in 2025.”

🚨 UPDATE: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been sued by 11 Aspiration investors who allege Ballmer used the company (now named Catona) "to secretly funnel millions of dollars to star NBA player, Kawhi Leonard […] paying him more than allowed by the NBA’s salary cap rules" 🧵 pic.twitter.com/GLnMHNfdWS
— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) November 4, 2025

Steve Ballmer, whose net worth exceeds $150 billion, invested $50 million in Catona. The lawsuit argues that his involvement and endorsement influenced the plaintiffs’ decisions to invest or remain invested in the company. “Plaintiffs would not have invested and/or kept their investment in Catona if Ballmer and Sanberg had disclosed the true nature of Ballmer’s investment,” the filing states. It further claims that without Ballmer’s backing, the alleged fraud could not have been sustained.

The NBA has already launched an investigation into the Clippers and Aspiration. Speaking publicly in September, commissioner Adam Silver said the league would “get to the bottom of it.” He added, “We will bring whatever resources we need to bear on this investigation. I don’t know anything more yet. I believe in due process. I believe in fairness. And so we will be thorough, but we will begin with a presumption of innocence, not a presumption of guilt.”

Wider NBA turmoil adds pressure to ongoing investigation

The allegations come at a turbulent time for the league. In recent weeks, the NBA has faced two major gambling indictments involving three current and former players and coaches, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

Sanberg, meanwhile, has already pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in a separate $248 million federal case. Prosecutors accused him of orchestrating a large-scale fraud scheme unrelated to the Ballmer allegations.

The plaintiffs maintain they were misled into believing their money supported legitimate business operations, not a covert arrangement to secure Leonard’s commitment to the Clippers. As the case develops, Steve Ballmer faces growing scrutiny, with the accusations threatening to entangle him in one of the most complex scandals involving an NBA team executive in recent memory.