Aspiration, the now-bankrupt financial services and tree-planting company, reportedly offered nearly twice as much as Intuit for the naming rights to the Los Angeles Clippers’ new arena.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported the bid on NBA Today, citing Clippers sources who confirmed Aspiration’s offer exceeded $1 billion. Despite the larger proposal, the franchise selected Intuit, a more established brand, for the naming deal.
The decision avoided a deeper financial entanglement with Aspiration, whose ties to Clippers star Kawhi Leonard are now under league investigation. Leonard earned $28 million through an endorsement contract with the company, a figure higher than what celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Drake, and Robert Downey Jr. reportedly received.
Documents uncovered by Pablo Torre of The Athletic showed Leonard was treated as a payment priority as Aspiration’s financial health collapsed. The revelation raised concerns about whether the arrangement was linked to his 2019 decision to join the Clippers.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass confirmed the league is reviewing the deal, which falls under potential salary cap circumvention. The investigation is being conducted by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the same firm that handled probes into Donald Sterling and Robert Sarver.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer previously acknowledged a small personal stake in Aspiration but denied any connection between Leonard’s endorsement deal and his contract with the team. He emphasized that the investment was less than three percent and unrelated to player negotiations.
If violations are found, the NBA could impose penalties ranging from contract voids to executive suspensions or financial fines. The last major case of this nature involved the Minnesota Timberwolves and Joe Smith in 2000.
For now, Intuit retains the $550 million naming rights deal, while Aspiration’s failed billion-dollar bid remains another piece of the ongoing Clippers–Leonard controversy.
