NBA Approved Clippers’ $300 Million Aspiration Jersey Patch Deal in 2021, Sources Say
nba-approved-clippers-aspiration-jersey-patch-deal-2021
The NBA formally vetted and signed off on a 23-year, $300 million sponsorship agreement between the Los Angeles Clippers and green-banking firm Aspiration in 2021, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the arrangement.
Team officials submitted the pact—which included a jersey patch and signage in the franchise’s yet-to-be-completed Inglewood arena—to league headquarters months before it was announced in September 2021, the sources said. NBA rules require any deal featuring jersey patches to receive league approval.
In April 2022, Aspiration separately reached a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. Because player sponsorships are not subject to league review under the collective bargaining agreement, that contract did not pass through NBA channels. The Leonard agreement has since become the focus of an ongoing investigation into whether the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer attempted to circumvent the salary cap.
Commissioner Adam Silver initially told reporters he had “never heard of the company Aspiration,” later clarifying that he was “aware of the brand.” The league has retained law firm Wachtell Lipton, Rosen & Katz to determine whether cap rules were violated, a process sources expect could extend past the 2026 playoffs.
League Rules on Jersey Patches
The NBA does not review every corporate partnership, but sponsorships visible during broadcasts—jersey patches, courtside signage and similar placements—are subject to heightened scrutiny. An operations manual obtained by ESPN states that no patch can be announced without prior NBA approval, specifies dimensions and placement, and allows the league or team to terminate an agreement if the sponsor becomes embroiled in a scandal.
“Teams vet their own sponsorship partners and negotiate their own sponsorship agreements,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement, adding that jersey patches require league sign-off because of their visibility.
Financial Troubles at Aspiration
Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration the same month the Clippers deal was unveiled. Nine months later, the company inked the endorsement with Leonard—an arrangement an anonymous Aspiration employee later claimed was intended “to circumvent the salary cap.” Ballmer has denied directing or even knowing about the Leonard contract.
The Aspiration logo was slated to appear on Clippers jerseys when the club’s agreement with Honey expired at the start of the 2023-24 season, but it never materialized. By January 2024, Bloomberg reported that Aspiration faced investigations by the Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for allegedly misleading customers. The Clippers said at that time they had terminated the partnership “last season.”
Aspiration filed for bankruptcy in March 2025, reporting $170 million in debt and listing the Clippers as their largest creditor at $30 million. In August 2025, company co-founder Joe Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud tied to a $248 million scheme against investors and lenders. Ballmer told ESPN he and the team are cooperating with federal authorities, saying of Aspiration’s executives, “They conned me.”
Investigation Timeline
The NBA’s inquiry is expected to last several months. Under league procedures, Wachtell Lipton will deliver its findings to the NBA office. Depending on the evidence, a neutral arbitrator jointly appointed by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association could decide whether Silver has authority to impose penalties.
“The burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league,” Silver said after the Board of Governors meetings in September 2025.
Source: ESPN
