Report links late Kawhi pay to Clippers partner

A constricted spouse with the LA Clippers reportedly sent astir $2 cardinal to a now-bankrupt institution that allegedly gave Kawhi Leonard an endorsement woody for a "no-show job" little than 10 days earlier the prima guardant was paid $1.75 cardinal by the company, the podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out" reported Thursday.

The company, Aspiration, reportedly agreed to a $28 cardinal endorsement deal with Leonard successful 2021. Clippers proprietor Steve Ballmer invested $50 cardinal done his idiosyncratic LLC successful September 2021, and the Clippers announced a $300 cardinal concern with Aspiration 2 weeks later. Torre reported that Leonard agreed to a four-year, $28 cardinal endorsement woody successful April 2022 -- 9 months aft helium re-signed with the Clippers.

On Thursday, Torre reported that Dennis J. Wong, a Clippers constricted partner, invested $1.99 cardinal successful Aspiration 9 days earlier the institution made a $1.75 cardinal outgo to Leonard. The outgo to Leonard was late, according to the outgo schedule, arsenic the institution was reportedly having fiscal troubles earlier yet declaring bankruptcy.

The NBA is investigating whether Ballmer and the Clippers violated league rules due to the fact that Leonard accepted the deal.

On Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said it would beryllium up to the NBA to beryllium wrongdoing by the Clippers.

"I deliberation arsenic with immoderate process that requires a cardinal consciousness of fairness, the load should beryllium connected the enactment that is, successful essence, bringing those charges," Silver said during his yearly quality league astatine the decision of the league's committee of governors meetings.

The allegations archetypal came retired past week erstwhile an unnamed idiosyncratic who purportedly worked for Aspiration told Torre that the woody with Leonard "was to circumvent the wage cap."

The Clippers person denied immoderate wrongdoing.

"The allegations person not been true," Ballmer told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne connected Sept. 4. "But what's astir important to maine is we've done the close happening successful each those interactions. You cognize Kawhi's concern is Kawhi's business. But we've ever done the close thing."

On Wednesday, the Clippers issued a connection to Torre, saying: "The details of our narration with Aspiration are nether NBA investigation, but it's wide the institution was a location of cards that defrauded Steve and galore others. We look guardant to sharing the facts with the league and providing them with each the accusation they need."

Sources told ESPN that the NBA has hired the New York-based instrumentality steadfast Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to grip the investigation. There is nary acceptable deadline to find a conclusion.

According to Torre, Leonard agreed to a four-year, $28 cardinal endorsement woody successful April 2022 done his LLC, KL2 Aspire. A clause successful 1 of the documents, according to Torre, stated that the woody betwixt Aspiration and KL2 Aspire would beryllium voided if Leonard near the Clippers. Leonard besides could "decline to proceed with immoderate enactment desired" by Aspiration and proceed to beryllium paid, Torre reported.

Aspiration filed for bankruptcy successful March. The institution is nether national probe for fraud, and Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg, 46, pleaded blameworthy to 2 counts of ligament fraud successful precocious August, admitting helium defrauded investors and lenders of much than $248 million.

Under the circumvention rules of the NBA's 2023 corporate bargaining agreement, teams tin beryllium punished for circumventing the wage cap. Penalties tin see fines up to $7.5 million, nonstop forfeiture of draught picks, voiding immoderate subordinate declaration and a suspension -- up to a twelvemonth -- for immoderate squad unit recovered to person engaged successful specified a violation.

"The conception that Steve invested successful Aspiration successful bid to funnel wealth to Kawhi Leonard is absurd," the Clippers said Wednesday. "... There is thing antithetic oregon untoward astir squad sponsors doing endorsement deals with players connected the aforesaid team. Neither Steve nor the Clippers enactment had immoderate oversight of Kawhi's autarkic endorsement statement with Aspiration. To accidental different is flat-out wrong.

"The Clippers instrumentality NBA compliance highly seriously, afloat respect the league's rules, and invited its probe related to Aspiration."