Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban publicly defended Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer amid ongoing questions about Kawhi Leonard’s 2019 endorsement deal.
Cuban tweeted that Ballmer would not risk circumventing the salary cap, pointing to the bankruptcy of Aspiration, the company behind Leonard’s $28 million deal, which he says scammed Ballmer along with other investors.
The NBA confirmed it has opened an investigation following documents obtained by journalist Pablo Torre, alleging the endorsement deal may have been used to skirt salary-cap rules.
Clippers officials have strongly denied the allegations, stating that neither Ballmer nor the franchise attempted to bypass the cap and emphasizing that the Aspiration investment was based on environmental goals.
The team noted that Aspiration later became a team sponsor and eventually defaulted on its contract after executives, including co-founder Joseph Sanberg, pleaded guilty to a $243 million fraud scheme.
Cuban highlighted that the notion Ballmer intentionally broke rules is unlikely, given the personal and financial stakes involved, and criticized reporting that he says fails to account for how the Aspiration scam operated.
Leonard joined the Clippers after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship and has since signed multiple contract extensions, with his latest deal totaling $152.4 million over three years.
The 2019 acquisition of Leonard involved sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and several draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a trade that has since become notable as Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP and Finals MVP.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN the league is aware of media reports regarding the Clippers and is reviewing the situation to determine if any salary-cap rules were violated.
