Kawhi Leonard was paid by a now-bankrupt environmental firm that had close ties to the Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer in a deal that one former employee of the firm has said was designed to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap, according to a new report on the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out posted Wednesday.

Leonard had a four-year, $28-million endorsement contract with the firm Aspiration, but is alleged to have provided no work as part of the deal. Documents obtained by Torre reveal Ballmer had invested $50 million in the firm shortly before Leonard’s endorsement deal went into effect in April 2022.

“We went through a litany of really, really top-tier name contracts, and then, ‘Oh, by the way, we also have a marketing deal with Kawhi Leonard, like a $28-million organic mar

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