USA Today via Reuters
Jan 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
For Patrick Beverley, a handshake with Steve Ballmer was supposed to mean more than a $40 million contract — it was supposed to build 94 basketball courts. Years later, with none of those courts delivered, the former Los Angeles Clippers guard is calling out what he sees as a broken promise at a time when the franchise is already under the microscope.
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“I’m gonna keep saying it,” Beverley said. “The Clippers owe me 94 basketball courts. COVID hit. I signed my contract — a three-year, $40 million deal — and they told me, ‘Pat, we gonna get you those 94 courts.’”
Back in 2024, the former Clippers guard first made the claim on his Pat Bev Pod, revealing that Ballmer had yet to follow through on a promise made during his 2019 contract negotiations, a revelation that continues to raise questions about behind-the-scenes commitments.
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He continued, “I ain’t seen one motherf—— court. I got kids in Chicago that need a court, kids in New York that need a court. I played in Philly — they need courts. LA need courts. Chicago need courts. They owe me 90 courts.”
Patrick Beverley calls out Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers for bad business after them potentially voiding Kawhi’s deal. He says when he signed his $40 million deal, they promised to build him courts. He’s missing 90 courts. New York, Chicago, LA, and Philly are all waiting. pic.twitter.com/ATC8uEsAED
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Thechat101) April 7, 2026
Meanwhile, Pat Bev didn’t stop there. He went on to grill Steve Ballmer and Co. “Y’all talking about aspirations and medicine and all that sh–. What about my motherf—— courts? Motherf—— owe me courts, man. I know y’all don’t want to keep hearing it, but we shook on that. Steve Ballmer, we shook on that, man,” Beverley said. “I looked you in your eyes. I told you in your face. That’s real as f—. I ain’t never had nobody do that for me. You promised me 94 basketball courts, motherf—–. You owe me 90.”
Beverley laid it out with zero filter. Back in 2019, he reportedly had a three-year, $50 million offer from the Sacramento Kings on the table. Instead, he chose loyalty, accepting a smaller deal to stay with the Clippers — a decision he says was influenced by the vision the organization sold him.
During a meeting in Marina del Rey, Ballmer added what Beverley says was a game-changing promise — funding 94 basketball courts across Los Angeles. To Beverley, it was bigger than basketball. It was about impact. But that promise, according to him, fell flat.
Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer’s alleged Aspiration connection
While revisiting his own situation, Beverley also tied his frustration to what Kawhi Leonard is currently dealing with, showing support for his former teammate while keeping the pressure on the organization.
The NBA is now investigating whether the Clippers and Ballmer used a sponsorship structure to work around salary cap rules. The concern centers on whether additional money was indirectly funneled to Leonard outside of standard team salary mechanisms.
The investigation, which began in September 2025, has dragged on for months due to its complexity. At the center of it is a $28 million endorsement deal and $20 million equity agreement Leonard signed with Aspiration in April 2022 — a deal that raised eyebrows because the Clippers organization had simultaneously secured a $300 million partnership with the same company.
Imago
Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The situation became even more layered when Aspiration was named a founding partner of the Intuit Dome and Ballmer personally invested $50 million through his LLC. Those overlapping ties sparked questions about whether Leonard’s deal functioned as a workaround to league rules — though all parties involved have denied any wrongdoing.
Amid the ongoing investigation, Beverley is keeping the pressure on, linking Ballmer’s unfulfilled promises to a much larger controversy surrounding the franchise. And as the NBA continues its review, one thing is clear: even beyond Kawhi Leonard’s situation, questions about how the Clippers operate behind closed doors aren’t going away anytime soon.
