Overview

• Documents published by Pablo Torre show DEA 88 Investments, tied to Clippers vice chairman Dennis J. Wong, wired about $1.99 million to Aspiration on Dec. 6, 2022, nine days before Aspiration paid $1.75 million to Kawhi Leonard’s KL2 Aspire LLC.
• Internal Aspiration records flagged Leonard’s transfer as “critical,” and former employees say the payment cleared on Dec. 15, 2022, the same day the cash‑strapped firm laid off roughly 20 percent of its staff.
• The NBA has retained Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to lead an ongoing probe, with Commissioner Adam Silver stressing due process and saying the league must prove any violations before imposing discipline.
• Reporting also says Steve Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in 2021 and nearly $10 million more in March 2023 as the company struggled, while Aspiration’s bankruptcy lists KL2 Aspire as owed about $7 million.
• Aspiration’s co‑founder Joe Sanberg has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, the Clippers deny wrongdoing and say they were defrauded, and potential penalties if cap circumvention is proven include heavy fines, draft‑pick loss, suspensions, or voided contracts.