Kawhi Leonard Endorsement Deal Raises Salary Cap Concerns for Clippers
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An endorsement contract worth $28 million signed by Kawhi Leonard is under league scrutiny amid allegations it was structured to skirt NBA salary-cap rules.
On Sept. 3, 2025, ESPN journalist Pablo Torre reported on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that Leonard received the agreement from Aspiration, a purported tree-planting firm bankrolled with $50 million from Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. According to the investigation, Leonard performed no duties for the company.
Documents reviewed by Torre list Leonard’s business entity, KL2 Aspire LLC, as a creditor in Aspiration’s March 2025 bankruptcy filing, with $7 million owed. Torre said he interviewed seven former Aspiration employees; one supplied a marketing agreement indicating Leonard would be paid $7 million over four years without any required work.
If the NBA determines the arrangement functioned as an improper benefit tied to Leonard’s on-court contract, the Clippers could face significant penalties for salary-cap circumvention.
In a statement to ESPN, the Clippers said, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
The league has taken severe action in similar cases. In 2000, the Minnesota Timberwolves were fined $3.5 million, lost five first-round draft picks, and saw owner Glen Taylor suspended and general manager Kevin McHale placed on leave after the NBA voided a series of contracts with forward Joe Smith that violated cap regulations.
Leonard joined the Clippers in July 2019 on a three-year, $103.1 million deal after leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 championship and declining his player option. He has since signed two extensions with the franchise.
Source: Hoops Rumors
