More information on the scandal involving Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard, and the Clippers with a statement in between

In the midst of a critical financial situation, the sole minority owner of Los Angeles Clippers, Dennis J. Wong, made an investment of nearly $2 million in the environmental firm Aspiration, while the company was facing serious economic difficulties. What is curious about this investment is that on the same day, Aspiration made a payment of $1.75 million to Kawhi Leonard, the star of the Clippers, just as the company was laying off 20% of its workforce. This information was revealed by Pablo Torre in the latest episode of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, as reported by the journalist from The Athletic, Joe Vardon. This is just the latest development surrounding suspicions of potential salary cap evasion by the Clippers when they signed Leonard as a free agent in 2019. Last week, Torre disclosed that Leonard signed a $28 million sponsorship deal with Aspiration but did not perform any actual work for the company, which had received a $50 million investment from Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Clippers. The NBA has hired a law firm to investigate the matter, and Commissioner Adam Silver stated on Wednesday that the burden of proof lies with the league to demonstrate any wrongdoing by the Clippers. An "essential" payment in times of crisis The sponsorship agreement between Leonard and Aspiration stipulated that the player would receive $1.75 million quarterly over a period of four years. However, in December 2022, Wong, the minority owner of the Clippers and vice president of the franchise, invested nearly $2 million in Aspiration, despite the company already facing serious difficulties, including the resignation of its independent auditor, KPMG, and several lawsuits for millions of dollars due to overdue payments. Aspiration had failed to make a payment to Leonard in the fall but did so in December after Wong transferred the money to the company, according to documents obtained by Torre. The payments to Leonard were labeled as "critical" due to the urgent need to fulfill them. Dennis Robertson, Leonard's uncle and business manager, had repeatedly contacted the company about the pending payment. A former Aspiration employee told Torre that the company's financial situation was chaotic: "There was a big freeze because there was no money to spend. From the financial team's perspective, we felt like we were on the other end of collection calls. People were constantly demanding their money. Between those months when all of this was missing – September, October, November – and up to December, the certainty that the company would even exist was in doubt," the source commented. Official statement from the Clippers In response to the revelations, the Clippers issued a statement to Torre indicating: "Details of our relationship with Aspiration are being investigated by the NBA, but it is clear that the company was a house of cards that defrauded Steve and many others. We look forward to sharing the facts with the league and providing them all the information they need." With the NBA taking action on the matter, the future of this case remains uncertain, but the implications for the relationship between the Clippers and Aspiration could be significant, especially if any violation of the league's salary cap rules were to be confirmed.

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