The NBA has reportedly hired the same law firm that investigated former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to look into the endorsement scandal involving Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
A "source with direct knowledge of the situation" told The Athletic that the league has enlisted the services of law firm Watchtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz to investigate the allegations that the NBA player and current Clippers owner Steve Ballmer cheated the salary cap with a $28 million tree company endorsement.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz previously investigated Sterling and ex-Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, who both faced misconduct charges before the end of their times with their respective teams.
Leonard and Ballmer’s alleged misconduct came to light during a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out. Torre was joined by Amin Elhassan and David Samson to talk about their investigation into Leonard's mysterious deal with “tree brokerage” company Aspiration.
Back in March, Aspiration filed for bankruptcy and listed one of its creditors as KL2 Aspire LLC, a company that Leonard is listed as a manager of in an August 2025 filing with the California Secretary of State's Office that was viewed by Complex. Though Torre confirmed that Leonard's company was listed as a creditor for $7 million, the star player never publicly endorsed Aspiration.
"NBA executives were suspicious of how Steve Ballmer's Clippers landed the most valuable free agent on the market, Kawhi Leonard," Torre said about Leonard joining the team back in 2019.
Torre and company claimed that Leonard signed a $28 million “no-show job” endorsement deal with Aspiration. Suspiciously, they continued, Ballmer had given $50 million in funding to the company, and Leonard’s deal, which was effective from April 2022, was contingent on him remaining with the Clippers.
"It was to circumvent the salary cap," the reporters said, noting that Leonard's agreement with Aspiration was the "single largest sponsorship deal" the company made. "It completely eclipsed every other agreement," they added, saying that Leonard "evaded all press" about the deal. "He didn't have to do anything," they said.
In a statement, the Clippers denied the allegations.
"Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration," the team wrote. "Any contrary assertion is provably false."