Overview

• Speaking at a business conference Tuesday, Steve Ballmer said he was defrauded by Aspiration, insisted the team followed league rules, and welcomed the NBA’s investigation to “get the facts out.”
• The league has retained Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to run an independent probe, and Adam Silver reiterated that the NBA needs strong evidence before issuing penalties.
• Recent reporting recapped documents linking a December 2022 $1.99 million wire from Clippers vice chair Dennis Wong to a $1.75 million payment to Kawhi Leonard’s company, alongside earlier Ballmer investments in Aspiration.
• Aspiration co-founder Andrei Cherny publicly denied that Leonard’s endorsement was a no-show, while a signed statement from former Aspiration executives said the deal bypassed internal vetting and drew significant objections.
• Analyses this week outlined potential outcomes under Article XIII, including fines, loss of draft picks, suspensions, repayment of funds, or even voiding Leonard’s contract, though no findings have been announced.