Report: Whistleblower claimed Clippers used company deal to pay Kawhi Leonard bonus

An unusual allegation involving Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers and a now-bankrupt company is again drawing attention.

According to the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, a 2023 whistleblower complaint filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused the environmental firm Aspiration of misusing funds to help the Clippers circumvent NBA salary cap rules and pay Leonard what the complaint described as an incentivized bonus.

The podcast shared screenshots of the complaint during a live broadcast from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. It did not report whether the SEC verified the whistleblower’s claims.

The allegation centers on a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal Leonard signed with Aspiration in 2022. The arrangement has already drawn scrutiny from the NBA, which has been investigating whether the agreement effectively allowed Leonard to receive compensation beyond league salary cap limits.

Leonard never appeared in marketing campaigns for Aspiration, according to the report.

Aspiration filed for bankruptcy in March 2025. That same month, federal prosecutors charged co-founder Joseph Sanberg with fraud related to the company’s finances. Sanberg later pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

The Clippers’ connection to the company has also been examined because owner Steve Ballmer invested roughly $60 million in Aspiration between 2021 and 2023.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last month the league’s investigation remains ongoing.

“It’s enormously complex,” Silver said. “You have thousands of documents and multiple witnesses. Our charge is simply to let investigators do the work and report back.”