New details continue to emerge regarding the Los Angeles Clippers’ scandal, which alleges a violation of NBA salary cap rules involving Kawhi Leonard.
The latest sees Aspiration’s (now-defunct) former CEO reveal Leonard’s contractual obligations with the organization. Earlier, a bombshell report by journalist Pablo Torre alleged that the two-time NBA champion was paid $28 million for a fraudulent endorsement deal.
What Were Kawhi Leonard’s Contract Details Highlighted by the Former CEO of Aspiration?
Per ESPN’s Shwetha Surendran, former Aspiration CEO Andrei Cherny took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the details of Leonard’s contract with the company.
“With the many ‘hot takes’ in the past 10 days about the Clippers/Kawhi Leonard, it’s been surprising (though maybe it shouldn’t be) that until now, no reporter has bothered to reach out to me for the facts about that contract,” Cherny tweeted.
With the many “hot takes” in the past 10 days about the Clippers/Kawhi Leonard, it’s been surprising (though maybe it shouldn’t be) that until now no reporter has bothered to reach out to me for the facts about that contract. This is what I told the NY Times/Athletic today: pic.twitter.com/VuhlM02fCQ
— Andrei Cherny (@AndreiCherny) September 12, 2025
Cherny shared a snapshot from his interview with The Athletic. “In the months of discussion among our executives before signing the sponsorship, I don’t remember conversations about the NBA salary cap,” Cherny added. He left the company in 2022.
“I signed the contract shortly before I submitted my resignation, but before I left, there were numerous internal conversations about the various things Aspiration was planning to do with Leonard once the 2022-23 season began. … I can’t speak to what was done or not done after I left — or why.”
The latest developments include Torre reporting that the Clippers’ minority owner, Dennis J. Wong, invested $1.99 million in the company in 2022 — nine days before Aspiration made an overdue $1.75 million payment to the star forward.
At the time of writing, the NBA is actively investigating the alleged matter to determine whether the Clippers were guilty of circumventing the salary cap. The Clippers have denied the allegations, and owner Steve Ballmer stated that he was unaware of the reported contract between Leonard and Aspiration.
It’s worth noting that there is no official timeline for any updates on the findings from the NBA. Reports emerged about the other 29 teams’ stance on the controversy, and the consensus is that the findings of the report would probably come in sometime during the middle of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Earlier, league commissioner Adam Silver weighed in on the controversy. “When the podcast came out, it was news to me,” the head honcho said.
“Frankly, I never heard of the Aspiration before, and I had never heard a whiff of anything earlier around the endorsement deal with Kawhi or anything around engagement with the Los Angeles Clippers,” Silver added.
For now, the focus on the Clippers will be on finding a way to navigate the troubled waters they find themselves in. They will also hope that Leonard will steer the team to a deep playoff run this season and win the franchise’s maiden NBA championship.
