{"id":158591,"date":"2025-09-11T10:05:54","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=158591"},"modified":"2025-09-11T10:05:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:05:54","slug":"los-angeles-clippers-aspiration-investgation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/11\/los-angeles-clippers-aspiration-investgation\/","title":{"rendered":"Clippers-Aspiration Investigation Takes Shocking Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Pablo Torre Finds Out<\/em>‘s eponymous host Pablo Torre first came out with the report that the Los Angeles Clippers have allegedly circumvented the salary cap<\/a> to extend star forward Kawhi Leonard<\/a>‘s contract in 2021, the whole league was shocked. The optics were not good for Leonard, the Clippers or team owner Steve Ballmer. Then Ballmer addressed the incendiary report in an interview and claimed plausible deniability<\/a>. In his opinion, L.A. played by the rules. He even said he hopes that the NBA investigates the drama<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, a new report by Torre might make life a bit more challenging for the Clippers.<\/p>\n

Clippers Owner Reportedly Wired Money to Aspiration for Kawhi<\/h2>\n

From the beginning, the idea of an endorsement company paying Leonard $28 million for a “no-show job” was problematic for the Clippers. In reality, it may not be easy to prove that the team intentionally undermined the CBA rules. As NBA commissioner Adam Silver admits, he’d be reluctant to punish<\/a> Ballmer, Leonard or the Clippers or any of its members just for a seeming impropriety. Yet, the more time that passes, the darker the cloud hanging over the organization gets.<\/p>\n

In Torre’s latest report (25 minutes into the video), he dives into Leonard’s payments from Aspiration. Specifically, Torre assesses a payment Leonard received in Dec. 2022, when he received a $1.75 million payment. At the time Leonard was paid, the company was nearing its end. The entire staff was worried about their future and whether they would get their salary. At the same time, Leonard’s uncle (who essentially doubles as his agent), kept calling them about the payment that was running late.<\/p>\n