Claim: Kawhi Leonard received $28 million for a “no-show” role in an Aspiration-backed project, allegedly arranged by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

Background on the Clippers–Aspiration Partnership

Dating back to 2021, it was reported by NBA.com on September 27, 2021, that the Los Angeles Clippers and Aspiration announced a multi-year partnership aimed at setting “a new standard for social responsibility in sports.” As per the announcement, Aspiration was designated as the first Founding Partner of the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ future home, designed to be the first climate-positive arena.

As per the announcement, the collaboration centered on integrating Aspiration’s Sustainable Impact Services into the team’s operations and fan experience, helping businesses and supporters actively fight climate change. The Clippers also launched the “Planet Protection Fund,” a program allowing fans to offset their carbon footprint when purchasing game tickets. As part of the deal, Aspiration received exclusive physical and digital signage rights at the arena and joined community initiatives supporting underserved youth across Southern California.

According to the press release of the partnership, issued by Intuit on September 17, 2021, and distributed via Businesswire, the news was timed to coincide with the groundbreaking of the Intuit Dome.

A few months later, the financial dimension behind the venture became clearer. In a December 2021 SEC filing (Exhibit 99.1), Aspiration revealed it had secured $315 million in incremental equity financings from Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., and investment affiliates of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. That round included a $50 million investment in the form of mandatorily convertible pre-merger securities of Aspiration.

Kawhi Leonard’s Contract and Injury Context

On August 13, 2021, the New York Times reported that Kawhi Leonard officially signed a four-year, $176.3 million maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers on August 12, 2021. The deal included a player option for the fourth year, allowing Leonard some flexibility in the final season.

According to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Kawhi Leonard declined his $36 million player option for the 2021–22 season in order to enter free agency but decided to remain with the Clippers to pursue a long-term championship goal. The Clippers’ president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, praised Leonard as a “transcendent player and a relentless worker” who improves every day.

The contract was structured to ensure Leonard remains a cornerstone of the franchise through the 2024-25 season, coinciding with the slated opening of the Clippers’ new arena, the Intuit Dome.

For context, Leonard was recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL sustained during the 2021 playoffs and was expected to miss a significant portion of the following season. This contract solidified his commitment to the Clippers as they built toward a championship-contending team alongside Paul George.

The NBA’s Approval and Why It Was Needed

In October 2025, Baxter Holmes and Bobby Marks at ESPN reported that the NBA had approved the 2021 deal between the Clippers and Aspiration.

Why was approval needed? This was required under league rules (2017 NBA-NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, effective through 6/30/2023, Read Excerpt, Article 13 – Circumvention) because it contained a jersey patch component, sources said.

Three months later, in November 2021, Kawhi Leonard formed an LLC known as KL2 Aspire LLC, registered in California. Business-records aggregator BizProfile, which pulls data from the California Secretary of State, shows KL2 Aspire LLC — initial filing/date filed: November 22, 2021 — and gives a document number reported there as 202132810574. This LLC was part of managing Leonard’s payments related to this deal.

The Allegations and the Pablo Torre Report

This is where the narrative begins to shift from a standard endorsement arrangement into a murkier, allegation-driven zone that now sits at the center of the ongoing controversy.

The Pablo Torre Reporting and Its Limitations

In September 2025, journalist Pablo Torre published an investigation alleging that Leonard’s 2022 endorsement agreement with Aspiration was, in his words, “a no-show job.” Torre claimed he reviewed internal company documents, including what he described as a $28 million contract with Leonard’s LLC, KL2 Aspire, that required little to no actual promotional work.

However, and this is important for a fact-check, the contract itself has not been released publicly.
No court filing, NBA disclosure, or regulatory submission contains the contract or verifies its precise terms.

What we know publicly is:

• Torre says he reviewed the contract and interviewed former Aspiration employees.
• Reuters and The Guardian both cite Torre’s reporting, though neither independently verified the contract.
• Aspiration co-founder Andrei Cherny has denied that the arrangement was a “no-show job,” calling the characterization misleading, as seen in the statement he shared with The Athletic.

Leonard, when asked on media day (September 30, 2025), also disputed the claim, saying: “I don’t think it’s accurate to say I did no endorsement work,” as reported by Reuters.

Fact-Check Analysis

From a fact-checking standpoint, there is a widely circulated dollar figure ($28 million) and an allegation of non-performance, but no publicly available evidence that confirms either point beyond the reporter’s access.

The $28 million number originates entirely from reporting by Pablo S. Torre, who says he reviewed internal Aspiration documents outlining a four-year endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard’s LLC, KL2 Aspire. No outlet has ever published the contract, an exhibit, or an official filing confirming the amount.

However, multiple major outlets began reporting the $28M figure as if it were a confirmed, documented fact, including GoldenStateofMind and BasketballSphere.

This repetition by outlets created the impression that the $28 million amount exists in public documentation, even though it does not.

Our Verdict: Unproven

The claim that Kawhi Leonard received $28 million for a “no-show” role in an Aspiration-backed project is unverified and based solely on a single reporter’s account. While Pablo Torre reported reviewing a contract outlining this arrangement, the document has not been made public, and neither Leonard nor Aspiration confirms that the deal required no work.

Media repetition of the $28 million figure has amplified the allegation, but there is no independent evidence to substantiate it.

Our Fact-Checking Sources:

• NBA.com report on LA Clippers and Aspiration partnership, September 27, 2021: NBA.com

• Businesswire press release on LA Clippers–Aspiration partnership during Intuit Dome groundbreaking, September 17, 2021: Businesswire

• Intuit investor press release announcing Clippers–Aspiration partnership, September 17, 2021: Intuit

• SEC filing, Exhibit 99.1 – Aspiration Partners, Inc., December 8, 2021: SEC.gov

• New York Times report on Kawhi Leonard’s four-year, $176.3 million contract with the Clippers, August 12, 2021: New York Times

• ESPN report by Ohm Youngmisuk on Kawhi Leonard declining his $36 million player option, August 6, 2021: ESPN

• NBA.com report on Kawhi Leonard’s ACL surgery, July 13, 2021: NBA.com

• ESPN investigation by Baxter Holmes and Bobby Marks confirming NBA approval of the Clippers–Aspiration 2021 sponsorship, October 2025: ESPN

• NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 13 – Rules Against Circumvention): NBPA

• NBA–NBPA 2017 CBA (Article 13 excerpt, PDF): Document

• BizProfile record for KL2 Aspire LLC (Document #202132810574), filed November 22, 2021: BizProfile.net

• Pablo Torre investigation “The Richest Owner & The Silent Superstar,” September 2025: Pablo.show

• Reuters report on Clippers allegedly paying Kawhi Leonard $28M for a “no-show” job, September 3, 2025: Reuters

• The Guardian report denying claims of a $28M “no-show” job for Kawhi Leonard, September 3, 2025: The Guardian

• Aspiration co-founder Andrei Cherny X post responding to “no-show” job allegations, September 2025: X

• Reuters report on Kawhi Leonard disputing “no-show” job allegations, September 30, 2025: Reuters

• Golden State of Mind article on Clippers’ alleged $28M “no-show” job controversy, September 2025: Golden State of Mind

• BasketballSphere coverage of $28M Kawhi Leonard–Aspiration sponsorship allegations, September 2025: BasketballSphere