There will be plenty of questions about Kawhi Leonard, Aspiration and Steve Ballmer during the Los Angeles Clippers media day. And, like the Grinch himself, NBA journalist Pablo Torre just dropped another bombshell to make things extra spicy. In Part Five of his investigation into possible cap circumvention, Torre reveals that the Clippers owner donated money to Aspiration founder Joe Sanberg after knowing the company was under investigation.
Pablo Torre Drops New Bombshell Before Clippers Media Day
In the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, Torre outlines how Ballmer donated $1.875 million to another one of Sanberg’s charities in Dec. 2024, 10 months after the federal investigation.
“So, Ballmer has been trying to say very clearly that he is a victim of Aspiration co-founder Joe Sandberg, who has now pleaded guilty to wire fraud,” Torre begins. “That he is a victim as well of Sandberg’s alleged co-conspirator, Aspiration board member, Ibrahim Al-Husini, who got arrested in October 2024 and has since pleaded guilty to wire fraud.”
Around the 55-minute mark, he then explains that the Ballmer Group –a charitable entity that Ballmer runs with his wife Connie –donated money to another one of Sanberg’s organizations.
Torre “went through donations, grant by grant,” on the Ballmer Group’s website. Eventually, he found a donation of $1.875 million to the Golden State Opportunity Foundation. The organization’s mission statement is that they’re “dedicated to ending poverty by providing all Californians with the tools to build financial well-being.” Yet, opening the website now and clicking on ‘Learn More’ will result in a ‘Not Found’ error.
He then opened a cached version of the page, which displays information as recently as Nov. 2024. There, on the “Find Out More” page, there’s a picture of Sanberg and a story about how his life has guided him to start the organization.
Will all of these be enough for the NBA to step in and punish the Clippers? Or will Ballmer continue to play the victim? We have to wait and see. For the record, Clippers chief communications officer Chris Wallace would tell Torre: “[All] the issues you raise in your email are germane to the investigation by the NBA, and we will let them conduct their investigation.”
All Eyes On Media Day
Usually, the key members of an organization –players, coaches, and the front office executives alike –are available on Media Day. Unless there’s a health-related, contract-related or family-related reason, they’re expected to be present. Right now, there’s no news that either Ballmer and Leonard will miss it.
With that in mind, the Clippers begin their Media Day at 3pm (Eastern Time), the Leonard subplot hanging over them.
So far, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said the league won’t rush to judgment in its probe of the matter. In fact, there were reports that we shouldn’t expect any results from the investigation until after the All-Star weekend. Fittingly, the Clippers host this season’s All-Star Game in their bright, new, shiny arena: Intuit Dome.
The NBA’s Stance on the Clippers Situation
Since purchasing the Clippers for a then-record $2 billion, Ballmer has been on a quest to bring the franchise their first championship. The billionaire philanthropist has been actively involved in all the decisions about personnel and coaching. He also helped construct the most technologically-advanced arena in the league.
But did he make mistakes along the way? If so, were they accidental?
To answer their questions, the NBA has hired a third-party law firm to investigate whether the Clippers circumvented the cap with Leonard contract’s latest contract. Should that turn out to be true, there will be harsh penalties. Some potential ramifications are the forfeiture of draft picks, suspensions of Ballmer (and other team officials), voiding Leonard’s contract, and banning Leonard from re-signing with the Clippers.
Right now, the Clippers don’t control any of their draft picks until 2029. So, if the NBA forces them to forfeit any future picks, the team might be set back for years. They’re projected to have a maximum of $155 million in cap space in the summer of 2027, when most of their contracts end. Yet, without future draft picks to build around or trade for assets, it’ll still be difficult to build a contender.
In the new apron era, money cannot buy everything.
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