NBA says Aspiration co-founder aided probe into possible Clippers cap circumvention
aspiration-cofounder-aided-nba-clippers-cap-investigation
Los Angeles, Apr. 22, 2026 — The National Basketball Association told a federal judge that Joseph Sanberg, co-founder of the bankrupt green-banking firm Aspiration, cooperated with the league’s inquiry into whether the LA Clippers used a sponsorship deal to sidestep the salary cap in compensating star forward Kawhi Leonard.
In an April 17 letter to U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, NBA investigator David Anders wrote that Sanberg sat for two in-person interviews and supplied documents “relevant to our investigation.” Anders said the information matched other evidence and was provided without any promises from the league.
Sentencing ahead for Sanberg
Sanberg, who pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud for defrauding investors of $248 million, faces up to 20 years on each count at his April 27 sentencing in downtown Los Angeles. His attorneys have asked for a reduced term, arguing he gained little financially and is now penniless.
Ballmer details financial losses
In a separate five-page filing, attorneys for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said their client lost his entire $60 million investment in Aspiration after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2025. The Clippers, the filing added, forfeited nearly all of a $300 million, 23-year sponsorship agreement with Aspiration and more than $20 million held in escrow for carbon-offset purchases that were never completed.
Ballmer’s lawyers contended the billionaire was “flagrantly defrauded” by Sanberg, whom they accuse of exploiting Ballmer’s wealth and environmental interests to lure other investors. They wrote that Ballmer and Sanberg had only one brief conversation, aside from a greeting at a Clippers game.
Origins of the league investigation
The NBA opened its probe in September 2025 after podcaster Pablo Torre reported, citing internal documents and an unnamed Aspiration employee, that Leonard’s $28 million sponsorship arrangement was designed to bypass salary-cap rules. Torre noted the deal came roughly seven months after Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021; Ballmer added another $10 million on March 9, 2023.
Ballmer, who has denied wrongdoing, commissioned an internal review of the Clippers and instructed team and charitable-foundation staff to cooperate with the NBA inquiry, according to his attorney. Sanberg, the filing said, declined repeated information requests from Ballmer’s team.
Additional legal actions
Ballmer is also a defendant in a lawsuit brought by 11 former Aspiration investors who claim he helped funnel money to Leonard. Ballmer’s lawyers have asked the court to dismiss the suit, arguing the plaintiffs failed to state a valid claim.
Neither the NBA nor the Clippers commented on the latest court filings. Sanberg’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: ESPN
