Clippers’ Steve Ballmer: ‘I was personally defrauded’ by Aspiration

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer insists he was taken advantage of in the ongoing saga involving bankrupt “green bank” Aspiration and star forward Kawhi Leonard.

“This is not a fun thing to be through,” Ballmer told Sports Business Journal executive editor Abe Madkour. “I was personally defrauded through our interactions with the company and some of the staff. The fraud sort of extended broadly.

“Through that, we had many relationships with the company — sponsor, activation, [it] was through carbon credits, all a bunch of complicated stuff.

“But the important thing is, our relationship with the company and our player’s relationship with the company were independent, which is important under the rules of the NBA.

“I feel quite confident in that, that we abided [by] the rules. So, I welcome the investigation that the NBA is doing. It’s a great way, from our perspective, to get the facts out there.”

The comments come as Pablo Torre Finds Out continues to report that Leonard was paid $48 million by Aspiration for what sources have described as a “no-show job,” raising questions about possible salary cap circumvention.

Ballmer first introduced Leonard to Aspiration executives in November 2021, just months after the Clippers signed Leonard to a four-year, $173 million extension.

Around the same time, the Clippers announced a $300 million sponsorship with the company.

Aspiration paid Leonard $1.7 million in December 2022, just days after Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong invested nearly $2 million in the business.

Leonard also received $20 million in stock directly from co-founder Joe Sanberg.

Ballmer himself invested $50 million into Aspiration in 2021 and another $10 million in 2023, even as the company was “hemorrhaging cash” and laying off employees.

The Clippers have never reached the NBA Finals in franchise history, and now find themselves in the middle of a probe that could bring heavy league penalties.

Leonard, meanwhile, is under contract through 2026-27 and will make just over $50 million in each of the next two seasons before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2027.