INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The LA Clippers are “eager for the [NBA] investigation” and “confident” in how it will unfold, according to a team source who spoke with
Russo Writes.
The investigation, of course, references the ongoing league probe into alleged salary cap circumvention that stems from a partnership between the team, its star player, its owner, and a former team sponsor.
In September, Pablo Torre’s
“Pablo Torre Finds Out”podcast brought to light that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had funded at least $50 million to an environmental start-up company, Aspiration. The company would eventually become a team sponsor who also reached an agreement with the team’s star player, Kawhi Leonard, for a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal in 2022.
Allegations of direct salary cap circumvention came to the forefront, something that the Clippers have vehemently denied over the last month since Torre’s bombshell report dropped.
In a
sit-down interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shortly after the story broke, Ballmer said that he was “conned” by Aspiration, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March following the arrest of their co-founder on fraud charges.
“These were guys who committed fraud,” Ballmer told Shelburne. “They conned me. I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up, and they conned me at this stage. I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi.”
As further details were unearthed, the timeline of events became optically damning for the Clippers.
Payments to Leonard were allegedly made within days or weeks of investment infusions from Ballmer. However, optics alone, according to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, aren’t enough to penalize someone.
“The burden is on the league if we are going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league,”
Silver said when he spoke on Sept. 10 following a Board of Governors meeting. “I think, as with any process that requires a fundamental sense of fairness, the burden should be on the party that is, in essence, bringing those charges.”
Silver would continue.
“I’d say in the case of the league, we and our investigators look at the totality of the evidence,” he said. “I think whether mere appearance, just by the way those words read, I think as a matter of fundamental fairness, I would be reluctant to act if there was sort of a mere appearance of impropriety.”
On Monday, Silver
stated that there was “no contemplation of moving” the upcoming 2026 All-Star Game out of Intuit Dome amidst the ongoing investigation.
On the Clippers’ end, they are aware of how the timeline of events looks from an optical perspective, maintaining their innocence and looking forward to the investigative process playing out, sources tell
Russo Writes.
The timing of the allegations and their proximity to the opening of training camp meant that there would at least be a statement of some kind coming relatively soon. While five teams did their media day early due to them having to travel outside of the United States, the Clippers were one of the 25 teams set to host their annual media day on Sept. 29.
Frank, who in years past has done his annual presser about a week before media day, opted to speak with reporters on the day of, shortly before players were made available.
“I’m not naive. I know there are a lot of questions about our organization. I wish I could answer them all. But out of respect to the NBA investigation, I can’t,” Frank said in a prepared statement. “What I can do is answer what I’m able to share. I will say this: We are glad there’s an investigation. And we welcome it. We appreciate that there will be a clear-eyed look at these allegations. We’re eager for the truth to come out. The assumptions and conclusions that have been made are disappointing and upsetting. We expect the investigation will show that these allegations are wrong.”
Frank has been at the helm of the decision-making process for the Clippers since August 2017, making Frank one of the longest-tenured NBA executives at his position level.
“We do look forward to providing the facts to the league so they can see the entire picture, which I think is critical,” Frank said. “We feel very, very confident we’re on the right side of this, and we’ll just focus on what we can control and trust the investigative process.”
Leonard, like Frank before him, met with media on Sept. 29. Of the 12 questions Leonard was asked during his 7-minute presser, seven of them, at least in some capacity, had to do with the ongoing investigation.
“I don’t read headlines or do conspiracy theories or anything like that,” Leonard said. “The NBA is going to do their job. None of us did no [
sic] wrongdoing. That’s it. We invite the investigation. It’s not going to be a distraction for me or the rest of the team.”
When asked about his understanding of the endorsement deal with Aspiration and if he performed any services for them, Leonard said, “I understand the full contract and the services that I had to do. Like I said, I don’t deal with the conspiracies or the clickbait analysts or journalism that’s going on. That’s what it is.”
Leonard would go on to add some more thoughts on the matter after fielding various questions about the investigation.
“It’s old. This is all new to you guys,” Leonard said. “The company went bankrupt a while ago, so we already knew this was gonna happen.”
Before Leonard talked, Frank was questioned about whether Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, had ever asked for any extra benefits that wouldn’t be allowable under the NBA salary cap.
“Dennis knows the rules, Kawhi knows the rules, [Leonard’s agent] Mitch Frankel knows the rules, and we know the rules,” Frank said.
Frank was then asked if that was a “yes or no”.
“Yes, we all know the rules,” Frank replied.
Frank’s response was directly in line with Ballmer’s during his sit-down interview on ESPN.
“They know the rules. They—meaning Kawhi and his representatives, including his uncle. We know the rules,” Ballmer said. “If anything’s not clear, we remind ourselves what the rules are, and we make absolutely clear we’re gonna abide by those rules, and they understand them, as well. It’s important for them to abide by them, which they have.”
The investigation, which will likely take a while to wrap up, will determine whether or not everyone involved in the allegations did indeed adhere to that.
Should the Clippers fail to be exonerated, the punishment could be severe, including up to a $7.5 million fine, the forfeiture of future draft picks, the voiding of contracts, and/or the suspension of their owner and team executives.
A substack by Justin Russo, an independent journalist covering the LA Clippers (and other things). Click to read Russo Writes, a Substack publication, by Justin Russo, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
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