The Aspiration scandal came to light a year ago, but the NBA has now announced punishments for the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard after finding them guilty.
Pablo Torre shocked the NBA world in September of 2025, revealing that the Los Angeles Clippers had used a ‘no-show’ sponsorship deal with Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap and pay Kawhi Leonard.
The franchise and its leadership spent months denying these allegations even as the NBA investigated. Although the decision to move on from Leonard had already been made, a decision on the matter was still needed.
Now, the NBA has concluded their investigation and found the team and the player guilty, detailing some harsh punishments for the involved parties.
Los Angeles Clippers stripped of five first-round picks, Steve Ballmer fined $30 million among other sanctions
Despite rumours in recent months that the Clippers wouldn’t be found guilty by the NBA, the reality has turned out to be quite different.
Shams Charania broke the news on Wednesday. And not only has the league found the team and Kawhi guilty, they have brought down the hammer in terms of punishment.
The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe,” Charania wrote on X.
“(The league is) Stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, sources tell ESPN.”
Further reporting has revealed that Ballmer and Zucker will be suspended from league activities for a year, while Frank will be suspended for six months without pay for his involvement.
Kawhi Leonard fined $700K and uncle Dennis Robertson banned from all NBA dealings
Leonard is the other guilty party in this entire situation, but the punishment for him is not as intense as what the Clippers have received.
“Kawhi Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits by the Clippers for his uncle and former business rep, Dennis Robertson,” Charania reported.
“No contract void or suspension for Leonard. And Robertson, who was fired by Leonard in June, is being banned by the NBA from all business dealings.”
The future of the franchise has been significantly derailed by this historic punishment while Leonard has seemingly walked away with minimal damage. The fallout from this will be interesting to see.
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