Steve Ballmer Nearly Granted Clippers Arena Naming Rights To Bankrupt Firm Now Tied to Kawhi Leonard Controversy

The Los Angeles Clippers’ $2 billion Intuit Dome nearly bore a very different name, and one that would now be engulfed in scandal. According to Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer almost granted naming rights for the new Inglewood arena to Aspiration Partners, the same now-bankrupt financial services company currently at the center of the Kawhi Leonard controversy.

Aspiration, which positioned itself as a sustainability and carbon-credit firm, offered more than Intuit for the naming deal. Ballmer ultimately went with Intuit, a financial powerhouse valued at $186 billion and known for TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Credit Karma. 

Intuit agreed to pay a reported $500 million over 23 years for the naming rights. In hindsight, that decision may have spared Ballmer and the franchise a far greater public relations disaster.

Aspiration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025 after co-founder Joseph Sanberg was charged with felony wire fraud. The Justice Department said Sanberg defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million by inflating company assets and revenue. 

Among the alleged victims were not only Ballmer, who invested $50 million in Aspiration, but also Kawhi Leonard himself, who was listed as a creditor in the bankruptcy documents. Leonard reportedly entered into a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, one that NBA insiders fear may have been structured to skirt salary cap rules.

This has placed the league in what some have described as “panic mode.” Anonymous sources told The Athletic that Leonard’s agreement with Aspiration resembled a “no-show” endorsement, raising questions about whether the deal was a covert salary-cap circumvention. 

Ballmer, for his part, has strongly denied wrongdoing. Speaking with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, he insisted the Clippers were not involved in structuring Leonard’s personal deal with the company, stressing that Aspiration had “conned” him as well.

Despite those assurances, the optics are damaging. The idea that the Clippers nearly signed a $330 million sponsorship deal with a company now revealed to be fraudulent and nearly gave it the naming rights to their flagship arena, only intensifies suspicion. The league has launched a formal investigation, reviewing emails, texts, and contracts provided by the Clippers.

Aspiration’s collapse underscores the NBA’s long-standing fear of under-the-table arrangements compromising the integrity of the salary cap. History provides examples of the league cracking down hard: in 2000, the Minnesota Timberwolves were penalized $3.5 million and stripped of multiple first-round picks after making secret deals with free agent Joe Smith. 

If the Clippers were found guilty of a similar offense, Article 13 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states they could face a $4.5 million fine, the loss of a first-round pick, and potentially the voiding of Leonard’s contract.

What once seemed like a clean business pivot for Ballmer passing on Aspiration for Intuit, now looks like a crucial save. If the Clippers had allowed Aspiration’s name on their arena, the franchise could have been permanently tied to one of the NBA’s most embarrassing corporate debacles.