Overview

• The investigation has moved into interviews with key figures on the Clippers’ side and with Kawhi Leonard, according to Shams Charania.
• Pablo Torre’s report cites a four‑year, $28 million endorsement agreement between Aspiration and KL2 Aspire LLC that allowed Leonard to decline promotional requests and tied payment to his status as a Clippers player.
• Aspiration’s March bankruptcy filings list KL2 Aspire as a creditor owed $7 million, and contract notices were directed to Leonard’s advisor Dennis Robertson.
• The Clippers and Ballmer deny any cap circumvention, assert they had no oversight of Leonard’s independent deal, say their sponsorship ended in 2022–23, and Ballmer told ESPN he was defrauded by Aspiration.
• Potential penalties under the CBA range from fines to forfeiture of draft picks or contract voiding, with the league likely assessing whether Aspiration functioned as a team affiliate and with the Joe Smith case serving as precedent.