Whistleblower accused Aspiration of helping Clippers evade salary cap for Kawhi: Report
BOSTON — A 2023 whistleblower criticism to the SEC accused Aspiration of fraudulently misusing funds to help the LA Clippers circumvent salary cap to pay star Kawhi Leonard “an incentivized bonus,” based on a brand new report by the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.
Broadcasting dwell from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, the podcast shared screenshots of the criticism, however didn’t report if the SEC verified the whistleblower’s account. The SEC introduced prices in opposition to Aspiring co-founder Joseph Sanberg final 12 months, alleging Sanberg dedicated fraud in how he offered the corporate’s funds. Those prices didn’t point out the Clippers.
The NBA is at the moment investigating allegations that the Clippers and their proprietor, Steve Ballmer, paid Leonard tens of millions of {dollars} greater than they have been allowed to beneath league salary cap guidelines by means of a four-year, $28 million endorsement take care of Aspiration, a California-based environmental firm. Sanberg additionally personally gave Leonard $20 million in Aspiration fairness. Leonard by no means appeared in any advertising and marketing campaigns for the corporate. Aspiration filed for chapter in March 2025, the identical month the US Department of Justice charged Sanberg with fraud. Leonard, by means of an LLC, was listed as a creditor for $7 million.
Sanberg pleaded responsible to federal fraud prices final 12 months and is awaiting sentencing. The SEC’s investigation into Aspiration is ongoing, based on “Pablo Torre Finds Out.”
Ballmer was a distinguished investor in Aspiration. I’ve invested $50 million into the corporate in December 2021 and another $10 million in March 2023by which level the corporate was in misery and burning cash. An investor who deposited that sum into the corporate at the moment is described by the SEC in its criticism as having been duped by Sanberg and numbers the SEC mentioned have been artificially inflated.
Leonard signed with the Clippers in 2019 after profitable a title with the Toronto Raptors and re-signed in 2021 and 2024.
According to “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” Leonard’s endorsement take care of Aspiration started on April 4, 2022, the identical day that the Clippers bought $32 million in carbon credit from Aspiration. On June 30, 2022, Kawhi acquired his first endorsement fee. That identical day, Aspiration acquired approval from the Clippers to entry the $32 million, which had been positioned in escrow.
The NBA employed the New York legislation agency Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz to research the accusations in September, and its investigation is ongoing. NBA commissioner Adam Silver mentioned final month the Clippers have cooperated with Wachtell.
“I haven’t come to any decisions whatsoever yet on the Clippers’ matter,” he mentioned at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.
“It’s enormously complex. You have a company in bankruptcy. You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed. I will say, just in case anyone is wondering, the fact that All-Star is here this weekend has had no impact on the timeline of the investigation. Our charge to the Wachtell law firm is ‘Do the work and then come back and make recommendations to the league office,’ and that’s where things now stand.”
