NBA Refutes ESPN’s Claim Steve Ballmer Was Cleared in Kawhi Leonard Cap Probe

The NBA is still investigating Steve Ballmer, his Los Angeles Clippers, and Kawhi Leonard for alleged salary cap circumvention.

NBA Refutes ESPN’s Claim Steve Ballmer Was Cleared in Kawhi Leonard Cap Probe

Steve Ballmer and Adam Silver (Image via Adam/Legion of Hoops/X)

The basketball community is still waiting for the NBA to complete its investigation into the Steve Ballmer-Los Angeles-Clippers-Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention allegations, which first came to light nearly a year ago.

After investigative journalist Pablo Torre revealed that he has anonymous witness testimony and a trove of documents showing the Clippers used Ballmer’s investment in carbon credit company Aspiration to funnel funds to their leading superstar, the league had to take matters into its own hands.

Time and again, the billionaire has refuted those claims, even suggesting that Aspiration scammed him, just as they did to several other investors. The company’s co-founder ending up in prison probably aided Ballmer’s claim.

The NBA has found no evidence showing LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard in order to circumvent the salary cap, according to three people with knowledge of discussions between the two sides in recent days.

ESPN reported

This was when three ESPN reporters learned from their sources that the league might not take any action against the Clippers’ owner. However, as soon as the network published this article, the NBA responded.

ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation – for which the NBA declined to cooperate – contains numerous and significant inaccuracies. The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.

NBA PR quoted spokesman Mike Bass

This led to a community post on ESPN’s original social media post, meaning the network will not be able to monetize it. Moreover, it brings the spotlight back on the investigation and how this entire discourse is damaging the league’s reputation.

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Clippers release statement to support ESPN article over Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard investigation

One of the aspects this ESPN article revealed was that the NBA was not interested in investigating whether Steve Ballmer was actually involved in this alleged salary-cap circumvention tactic to lure Kawhi Leonard to sign with his team.

The article also said the league and its third-party investigator were looking into whether Clippers employees played any part in getting Aspiration and Daktronics to sign the two-time Finals MVP. That led the league to respond that way. But the Clippers did not waste time supporting the article’s findings.

Making introductions between players and team partners is both an ordinary practice by NBA teams and a common request of players and representatives. The fact that a player has an endorsement relationship with a company that also does business with his team is not evidence of salary-cap circumvention.

Clippers’ statement read

This was the franchise’s attempt to suggest that teams often, at the request of players and their agents, introduce their partner brands to them. That did not mean that the organization influenced two of their partners to give Leonard endorsement deals that would essentially be a sweetener.

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Pablo Torre to expose ‘backstage negotiations’ between Steve Ballmer and NBA

While the league office tries to fix any misconceptions about this entire investigation, what caught Pablo Torre’s eye was something that prompted him to say this:

Ballmer is the richest owner in sports
Ballmer is the richest owner in sports (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

What we’re seeing actually is that a backstage negotiation is spilling out into the public. Maybe the public should know a bit more.

Pablo Torre said on X

This was after he read in the article that the two sides, that is, the Clippers and the NBA, are ‘negotiating a resolution to the investigation.’ That means Torre believes both parties are trying to reach a solution that can end this ordeal as soon as possible.

The second part of his opinion suggested that he is about to unveil another investigative episode that could expose what the league and the richest owner in sports are trying to do.

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