“These were guys who committed fraud. Look, they conned me. I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up, and they conned me”. From the start, the Clippers owner has maintained his innocence in the Aspiration contract. But Pablo Torre’s extended investigative reports continue to put Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard in the crosshairs. But supporting them from the outset is Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.

The Shark Tank fame is not replying to Torre, but even to fans who have any misconceptions. In his latest tweet, he mentioned, “Correction. “However. Aspiration took all the escrow money before they were even introduced to Kawh “. This part should have been edited out.” As per the proof Cuban shared on X, he is pointing towards the fact that “Aspire took MOST of the escrow money and the first 20m BEFORE BALLMER INTRODUCED ASPIRE TO Kawhi’s team.”

Since the money is lost even before the team introduces the player to the sponsor, Cuban asks how much of the fault is Ballmer’s. “And for those that think the email could be fabricated, remember he had to turn over everything to the Feds. And now the NBA, will quietly ask the Feds if the emails match what they have.” After raising this point, there was only one verdict from Cuban’s point of view. “Verdict : Ballmer is not the father of the CBA violation !”

The Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration saga highlights the complexity of the secret $28 million endorsement deal. Add to this $20 million in stocks, which some believe doubled as a backdoor incentive to keep Leonard in Los Angeles. While reports have swirled around Steve Ballmer’s role and whether the Clippers’ owner knew about the arrangement. Cuban continues to support Ballmer. In his previous tweet, the Mavs minority owner added, “Aspiration grabbed more than half the money in escrow before Ballmer made the Kawhi introduction.”

That’s why Mark Cuban was previously confident about who the real culprit was. “The scammers are where all the blame should start,” Cuban said, directly framing the investigation as misplaced. “I just don’t see Steve giving up $50 million and risking his entire reputation, integrity, and franchise.” To Cuban, the theory that Ballmer would jeopardize billions invested in the Clippers’ future, from Kawhi’s deal to the $2 billion Intuit Dome, over a backroom arrangement “doesn’t even make sense.”

Kawhi Leonard’s involvement gets the green signal

Aspiration’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, has already pleaded guilty to fraud charges, and bankruptcy filings show both Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard among those burned by the collapse. Even the other co-founder blamed Sanberg for the company’s financial collapse. In fact, Andrei Cherny even defended the $28 million endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard, pushing back against claims it was a “no-show” contract.

He previously explained that, “contract clearly said that if Leonard did not meet those obligations, Aspiration could terminate the contract.” Cherny added that he was unaware of broader discussions about the NBA salary cap and could not comment on actions taken after his resignation. But made sure to point out Sanberg’s involvement in causing this mess, and their contract with the Clippers star was valid. Backing his claim was Mark Cuban. “NO ONE wanted it, except for the obvious exception of Sanberg, who…said he was giving his own, personal stock to KL. That to me is confirmation that he is the guy who made KL happen,” Cuban wrote.

Adding to the suspicion was the secrecy surrounding the agreement. Unlike typical sponsorships, which are announced with press releases and marketing campaigns, Leonard’s Aspiration deal was never made public during the company’s brief partnership with the Clippers. Kawhi’s silence has only fueled speculation about the true nature of the partnership.