New evidence casts doubt on when Clippers cut ties with fraudulent company

When Pablo Torre first reported on Aspiration's suspicious $48M endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers responded in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that stated, "The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations."

Ballmer invested millions in March 2023

But owner Steve Ballmer invested an additional $10M into the company on March 9, 2023, when there were just 14 games remaining in the 2022-23 season. Perhaps the team officially "cut ties," but as Ballmer owns 99% of the team, it's hard to argue the team was separate from the man who owns them and continued to give them money.

The team gave Aspiration $118M over an 18-month span, nominally to purchase carbon credits well in advance of their new arena opening. One of their pre-payments of $32.4M coincides with Leonard signing his infamous, no-obligation $28M endorsement deal with the company.

If the Clippers were really cutting ties with a company that supposedly tricked them and defaulted on its obligations, then why was their primary owner still pouring money into the company? At this point, the NBA investigation is underway, but there's enough evidence of sketchy behavior that Ballmer and the Clippers need a better explanation for their conduct than simply claiming they were duped.