NBA Disputes Report on Clippers and Kawhi Leonard Salary-Cap Investigation

The NBA has challenged an ESPN report about its investigation into possible salary-cap circumvention involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, The Guardian reported. League spokesperson Mike Bass said the account contained numerous significant inaccuracies and added that the findings would become clear when the investigation concludes. The NBA did not specify which claims it disputes.

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ESPN reported that the inquiry has lasted 11 months and that investigators had not established proof that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer directed money to Leonard through team sponsorships to avoid the salary cap. The report also said the league and the Clippers had been negotiating a resolution. The NBA declined to cooperate with ESPN's report, according to Bass's statement.

The investigation is examining whether the Clippers' introductions between Leonard and team sponsors breached the league's anti-circumvention rules, according to ESPN's account. It is also considering whether the organization failed to supervise employees. The potential violation and any possible penalty remain unknown while the process is unresolved.

The allegations emerged in September 2025 through reporting by journalist Pablo Torre. The Clippers were accused of channeling $28 million to Leonard through a no-show endorsement contract with Aspiration, a green-banking company partly financed by Ballmer that later went bankrupt. The Guardian said Aspiration and three other Clippers sponsors have been part of the inquiry. Aspiration's co-founder was imprisoned after pleading guilty to fraud charges involving $248 million.

The Clippers told ESPN that they had introduced players, including Leonard, to companies that held business relationships with the team. They described such introductions as common NBA practice and said they did not negotiate or control the terms of Leonard's endorsements. The organization, which has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, argued that a commercial relationship between a player and a company is not itself proof of salary-cap circumvention. Ballmer has also denied the accusations.

The unresolved inquiry has affected Leonard's proposed return to Toronto. The Raptors, who won the 2019 NBA title with Leonard, agreed in principle in late June to bring him back but have not completed the move. Toronto said it would wait for the investigation because it would bear the risk of any outcome affecting Leonard; the Clippers also confirmed the deal is on hold. Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that he hoped the inquiry would finish by the end of summer, before training camps open September 29.