Kawhi Leonard: "I don't believe it's true that I did not provide services to Aspiration"

Kawhi Leonard denied the claim that he never fulfilled his obligations to Aspiration, the bankrupt green banking company and sponsor of Los Angeles Clippers, with whom he signed a lucrative sponsorship deal. "I fully understand the contract and the services I had to perform. I don't engage in conspiracies, clickbait analysts, or circulating journalism," the player stated in his first public comments on the matter, initially revealed by the podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out."

When asked by ESPN if he ever provided services as stated in a four-year, $28 million contract, Leonard replied, "I don't think that's true. But it's old news. All this is new to you; the company went bankrupt a while ago."

The NBA has launched an investigation to determine if Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the franchise breached league rules or attempted to circumvent the salary cap, as both Ballmer and co-owner Dennis Wong were investors in the company.

Ballmer told ESPN that he introduced Leonard to Aspiration in November 2021, three months after the Clippers agreed to a four-year, $173 million extension with the player, who was recovering from a knee injury suffered in the Western Conference finals. Two months prior, in September 2021, the team had announced a $300 million sponsorship deal with the company, including presence in the new stadium and on the jersey patch.

While NBA rules do not prohibit teams from connecting players with sponsors, they do prevent involvement in subsequent negotiations. Ballmer claimed to be unaware of the details of Leonard's contract, which reportedly also included $20 million in company shares. In the bankruptcy documents, the forward is listed among Aspiration's major creditors.

At the Clippers' media day, Leonard was asked by ESPN how much he had actually received, as he was listed as a $7 million creditor. "I'm not sure; I would have to check the books. It was more than that, for sure," he replied. When questioned if he received what was due, he added, "No, but the company went bankrupt. It was a fraud, as everyone knows. If you want more details about the company, you have to ask the company or the owner or anyone involved."

Ballmer denounced fraud

Ballmer, on his part, claimed to have been deceived. "Those guys committed fraud. They scammed me. I invested in them thinking they were honest, and they fooled me. I can't explain why they would have done what they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi."

Leonard stated he welcomes the NBA investigation and is confident it will clear things up. "The NBA will do its job. None of us did anything wrong. That's it. We welcome the investigation. It won't be a distraction for me or the team."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kawhi Leonard: "No creo que sea cierto que no presté servicios a Aspiration"