Featured Image Credit: China News Service / Contributor via Getty
Topics: Basketball, NBA
James Taylor
Topics: Basketball, NBA
LA Clippers have responded after allegations surfaced that Kawhi Leonard was involved in a $28m salary cap violation.
Leonard, who is widely regarded as one of the NBA's greatest two-way players, is a two-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star. He entered the draft in 2011 when he was selected by the Indiana Pacers, who immediately traded him to the San Antonio Spurs.
At the Spurs, Leonard won his first NBA Championship, as he was named the Finals Most Valuable Player. After seven years, he moved to the Toronto Raptors, delivering the team's first ever Championship during his single season in Canada.
In 2019, Leonard returned to his hometown of Los Angeles to join the Clippers as a free agent. However his time in Los Angeles has been marred with injury struggles.
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At the end of the 2020-21 season he tore his right ACL, which ruled him out for the remainder of that campaign and the following year.
Since his return, he has struggled with recurring knee injuries. Now Leonard faces scrutiny off the court regarding his salary.
According to the journalist Pablo Torre, documents suggest that the Clippers star may not have been paid properly by his franchise.
On X Torre wrote: "Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a 'no-show job' with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @PabloTorre.
"'It was to circumvent the salary cap', an inside source says."
Aspiration, who are the company in question, filed for bankruptcy in March 2025.
The multi-billion firm had been endorsed by several celebrities, including Robert Downey Jr. and Drake.
Bankruptcy filings revealed one of the creditors of the tree-planting company was KL2 Aspire LLC, a company which Leonard is listed as a manager/member of.
Torre reported that Leonard was paid $28m to endorse Aspiration.
And Torre spoke to a former employee of the company who alleged that this was an arrangement designed to bypass the salary cap. The employee, who was not named said: "It was to circumvent the salary cap, lol.
"The single largest payment to an individual for marketing that Aspiration ever made has completely evaded all press. He didn't have to do anything."
The Clippers have issued a response and denied any wrongdoing.
They told Torre: "Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration.
"Any contrary assertion is provably false."
It is not yet clear whether the NBA will launch a formal investigation.