Steve Ballmer Claims to Be Victim of Scam After $28 Million Kawhi Leonard Scandal

The 69-year-old then clarified that Aspiration signed an endorsement deal with his Clippers first. Then they introduced Leonard to the company. Since then, they have had no idea what happened. Essentially, he is echoing what Mark Cuban felt about this scandal.

Steve Ballmer sidesteps Kawhi Leonard’s uncle’s alleged demands

During this discussion, Ramona Shelburne then asked the billionaire about Kawhi Leonard‘s uncle, Dennis Robertson. She reminded Steve Ballmer that when they were looking to sign the 2-time champion, his uncle made specific demands.

The NBA had investigated those claims and eventually cleared Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers of any wrongdoing. However, that investigation has remained open. Shelburne then asked if Robertson made any demands since then.

They know the rules. They, meaning Kawhi and his representatives, including his uncle. We know the rules. If anything’s not clear, we remind ourselves what the rules are… It’s important for them to abide by them, which they have.

Steve Ballmer replied

This was not a direct response to Shelburne’s question. Instead, he sidestepped the question by talking about the rules. The problem is that such comments only continue to raise eyebrows, as Ballmer did not deny any such dealings or demands.

Steve Ballmer – Kawhi Leonard’s deal with Aspiration was worth $48 million

So far, Pablo Torre claimed that the deal Steve Ballmer conducted with Aspiration to pay Kawhi Leonard through an endorsement contract was worth $28 million.

Earlier, the Boston Sports Journal broke a story where author John Karalis claimed that a high-level source from Aspiration informed them that the deal to pay the 2-time Finals MVP was confirmed without consulting the top executives. Then came another bombshell.

The $28 million deal was to be paid in quarterly installments over four years, but it was not the only compensation Leonard received. According to a high-level source, Leonard also cut a side deal with Aspiration to receive an additional $20 million in company stock.

John Karalis wrote

This makes the total, $48 million, eerily close to the $50 million investment Steve Ballmer made towards Aspiration through Oak Tree Capital Management.

Moreover, that $20 million in stock was going to be paid out of co-founder Joseph Sanberg’s personal holdings. In addition to the lack of diligence towards this endorsement deal, this adds more layers to the scandal that has rocked the NBA.