Clippers' Steve Ballmer Breaks Silence on Controversial Kawhi Leonard Allegations

However, the NBA world was shocked on Wednesday morning after investigative journalist Pablo Torre of The Athletic uncovered potential allegations against Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard regarding an endorsement deal with a company, Aspiration. Ballmer had invested $50 million into the business, while Leonard received a $28 million endorsement deal, which was a "no-show job".

As reactions flooded the internet from around the sports world and statements were released by the Clippers and the NBA, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer decided to make the bold move to join ESPN's Ramona Shelburne to sit down for an exclusive interview to speak on his behalf amid the allegations that he tried to circumvent the cap space to pay Leonard more.

What Steve Ballmer Said

In the interview that lasted just over 15 minutes, Ballmer came to his defense amid the reporting from Torre. He first made sure to point out that he believes in the rules established by the NBA in terms of the salary cap. However, he also expressed his anger and frustration isn't just for himself, but for the others involved.

"Express I guess some of the anger I'm feeling about what's going on and I also feel some sadness for our employees. I'm mad, but I'm also sad that they're going through this as well as our staff and our fans," Ballmer said.

In terms of the connection to Aspiration, Ballmer shared that he was wronged in that investment by the company that has since gone bankrupt.

"Pablo's podcast I don't know anything about the court documents on this. I haven't seen them and I don't know...The speculation is what it is...I don't know why they did what they did," Balmer said. They conned me. I made an investment in these guys."

According to Yahoo Finance, Aspiration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March of 2025, and its co-founder, Joe Sanberg, later pleaded guilty to two charges of wire fraud.

To conclude things, Ballmer kept it blunt with how he hopes the NBA handles this investigation.

“We welcome the league investigation. We have nothing to hide, and, in fact, we’re glad for that opportunity also to tell our story because we think it’s important," Ballmer concluded.

Ballmer may have come on ESPN to share his side of the story, and clearly is confident that he's not in the wrong, but an investigation by the NBA will reveal what the verdict is of this case that Torre uncovered.