Mar 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) grabs a rebound against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The scandal involving the Los Angeles Clippers and possible salary cap circumvention for Kawhi Leonard is only getting more and more intense.

A new episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out released on Thursday and included some curious details about Aspiration, a now bankrupt sustainability company.

The NBA has hired a law firm to investigate the salary cap circumvention allegations, though the the Clippers have repeatedly denied the claims. After the investigation, fans will learn what (if any) punishment the organization will receive for any violations committed.

Keep all of that in mind as you review this timeline of events that could further contextualize whether or not the NBA can prove that the Clippers violated the CBA, which NBA commissioner Adam Silver considers a "cardinal sin" in the league.

Relevant timeline before Kawhi Leonard signed with the Clippers

This is background information about Ballmer's past with salary cap circumvention allegations and the team's interest in recruiting Leonard.

  • August 12, 2014: Steve Ballmer officially becomes the governor of the Clippers
  • August 25, 2015: The Clippers were fined $250,000 for offering unauthorized business/investment opportunities during free agency for DeAndre Jordan
    • Early in Ballmer's tenure with the organization, there were already murky waters about offering unauthorized endorsement deals to players during free agency.
  • December 11, 2018: ESPN reports that the Clippers scouted "roughly 75 percent" of games Leonard played for the Raptors before free agency
  • May 31, 2019: Doc Rivers (who was then head coach of the Clippers) was fined $50,000 in May 2019 for tampering comments about Leonard
    • The ex-Clippers head coach was fined for tampering when he compared the two-time NBA Finals MVP to Michael Jordan before Leonard's free agency period officially began.

What happened during Kawhi Leonard's free agency?

This is more background about when the Clippers officially signed Leonard, but it is not when the allegations about Aspiration actually occurred.

  • Summer 2019: Leonard's uncle Dennis Robertson reportedly demanded Leonard receive an annual $10 million in "no-show" endorsement deals, per Toronto Star
    • After he won a championship and was named 2019 NBA Finals MVP for the second time in his career, Leonard was the biggest fish in basketball free agency. But in the process, Leonard's camp reportedly made some bold requests.
  • July 9, 2019: Leonard officially signs with the Clippers as a free agent
    • A few days prior, the Clippers traded a major package (including future NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) to Oklahoma City in exchange for Paul George.
  • July 23, 2019: ESPN reported there was "frustration" at the NBA's Board of Governors meeting that family members of players were asking for benefits outside of the scope of the collective bargaining agreement
    • According to ESPN, some governors suggested that any family member negotiating on behalf of a player should have to become an NBPA-certified agent.
  • September 23, 2019: NBA's Board of Governors approved higher fines for "unauthorized agreements" with the intention to avoid salary cap circumvention
  • December 3, 2019: The Athletic reported the Clippers were investigated to discover whether or not there were "improper requests" offered to Leonard during his free agency period
    • This investigation also looked into whether there was guaranteed off-court endorsement deals offered to Leonard. No evidence was found but the NBA would "re-open the investigation" if "any relevant evidence" surfaced.
  • December 19, 2020: Johnny Wilkes filed a lawsuit alleging he was owed $2.5 million if he helped convince Leonard to sign with the team in 2019
    • Wilkes claimed Ballmer would fund a "$100 million marketing campaign" for Leonard if he signed there. The NBA re-opened the investigation into the Clippers but no penalty was issued. The case was dismissed in 2022 before it reached trial.

What happened with Leonard's contract extension?

These are the most relevant details about the actual allegations following Torre's reporting.

  • August 12, 2021: Clippers announce a four-year, $176.3 million extension for Leonard
  • September 14, 2021: Ballmer reportedly invested $50 million in Aspiration
    • This gave him "less than 3 percent" ownership as they had raised over $600 million in funding. Ballmer told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne these people "committed fraud" and "conned" him.
  • September 27, 2021: Clippers announce long-term plans for more than $300 million partnership with Aspiration
    • This deal would include jersey sponsorship and at the Intuit Dome and was scheduled to span 23 years.
  • November 2021: According to Ballmer, early in this month is when the Clippers introduced Leonard to Aspiration
    • Ballmer told ESPN's Shelburne that he did not know the terms of this deal with Leonard.
  • November 22, 2021: Leonard registered a company called “KL2 ASPIRE LLC” in California
    • Kawhi Leonard's initials are "KL" and he wears No. 2 for the Clippers.
  • April 1, 2022: Leonard began a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration
    • The endorsement required nearly nothing from him, similar to what Roberson reportedly asked of the Raptors in 2019. Leonard also agreed to a side deal for $20 million in stock (which did not convey) from Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg, per Boston Sports Journal. At the time, this brought the total valuation of the endorsement up to $48 million.

What went wrong for Leonard's endorsement deal?

  • July 6, 2022: Leonard received his first payment for $1.75 million, though it was later than expected
    • Leonard was expected to receive his payment four times per year, ending in March 2026. His first quarterly payment was due in June 2022 with the next due in September then December. There was no payment in September 2022, which reportedly upset Leonard's uncle Dennis.
  • October 13, 2022: Andrei Churney, who signed the endorsement deal for Leonard, stepped down as CEO of Aspiration
  • December 6, 2022: Clippers minority owner and alternate governor Dennis J. Wong (Ballmer's college roommate) invested $1.99 million in Aspiration for the first time while it was in peril
    • By this point, however, Aspiration was already running out of money and began its first of multiple rounds of significant layoffs. Payouts, including to Leonard, were otherwise paused. Employees at Aspiration told Torre that this was not a "rational" investment in a "broke" company but knew that Wong was affiliated with the Clippers.
  • December 15, 2022: Leonard received his second payment for $1.75 million
    • 20 percent of the staff was let go from Aspiration on that same day.

What else has happened since then?

Here is what else you need to know:

  • June 2023: The endorsement deal with the Clippers ended early after the 2022-23 season due to breach of contract
  • January 2024: Leonard signed another contract extension with the Clippers
  • March 3, 2025: Aspiration's Sandberg was arrested for conspiring to defraud an investment fund
  • March 15, 2025: Aspiration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and KL2 Aspire LLC is listed as one of the creditors
  • August 21, 2025: Sanberg agreed to plead guilty for defrauding investors of over $248 million

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, there is "no timeline" for how long the investigation will take.

During a press conference after a meeting with the NBA's Board of Governors on Wednesday, however, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the situation (via ESPN):

"The burden is on the league if we're going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league," Silver said during his annual news conference at the conclusion of the league's board of governors meetings in midtown Manhattan. "I think as with any process that requires a fundamental sense of fairness, the burden should be on the party that is, in essence, bringing those charges."

Silver emphasized that the NBA will look at the totality of the evidence to determine if there was impropriety. But how could the league prove it?

According to Article 13 and Section 2 of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, it is important to note the following about "unauthorized agreements" for teams:

"A violation may be proven by direct or circumstantial evidence, including, but not limited to, evidence that a Player Contract or any term or provision thereof cannot rationally be explained."

Especially as more is potentially unearthed during the NBA's investigations, the Clippers will have to offer a rational explanation for everything mentioned above.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kawhi Leonard scandal timeline: The Clippers look more and more guilty

Reporting by Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win / For The Win

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