On September 3, 2025, a bombshell report by investigative journalist Pablo Torre shook the NBA, revealing that Kawhi Leonard allegedly received a $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal with the now-bankrupt sustainability fintech company Aspiration, potentially as a means to circumvent the NBA salary cap.
The deal, made through Leonard’s LLC “KL2 Aspire,” included an unprecedented clause allowing him to decline any promotional activity that conflicted with his personal beliefs—effectively enabling him to get paid for doing nothing. Torre uncovered the deal while reviewing bankruptcy filings that listed KL2 Aspire as a major creditor, receiving $7 million from Aspiration.
His seven-month investigation, involving over 3,000 internal documents and interviews with former employees, found that Leonard’s payout was over four times the total of all other celebrity endorsements combined, yet there was zero evidence he had promoted the brand publicly.
Crucially, the contract stipulated Leonard had to remain a Clipper to be paid, with funds routed through his advisor Dennis Robertson, previously investigated by the NBA in 2019. The scandal deepened with revelations that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had invested $50 million into Aspiration shortly before the team secured a $300 million sponsorship deal with the company, raising concerns about financial impropriety.
Ballmer has denied knowledge of Leonard’s deal, claiming he was misled by fraudulent financials. Meanwhile, Aspiration’s co-founder, Joe Sanberg, pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud for defrauding investors of over $248 million—directly overlapping with the Leonard deal. The NBA has since launched a formal investigation, calling in top legal experts and drawing comparisons to the infamous Joe Smith cap-circumvention case. Consequences could include millions in fines, lost draft picks, and contract voids. Public opinion remains split: some, like Stephen A. Smith, criticized Leonard’s lack of contribution despite his superstar status, while others, including former players, saw it as just another hustle. Regardless, this case may have long-lasting implications for how financial relationships between players, owners, and third parties are regulated in professional sports.
