NBA commissioner Adam Silver may not have full knowledge of the allegations involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, according to journalist Pablo Torre.
During an appearance Friday on The Dan Le Batard Show, Torre suggested that Silver’s public comments showed a lack of awareness about the depth of reporting into the Clippers’ financial dealings with Aspiration, a bankrupt California-based firm. The company has been linked to a $28 million sponsorship deal with Leonard that produced no public promotion and is now under league investigation.
Le Batard asked Torre whether Silver seemed uninformed when he addressed the controversy earlier this week at the NBA’s preseason board of governors meeting in New York.
“Be honest here, when you heard Adam Silver speaking and going pretty immediately to let’s see if we can protect the owners here with the way that I speak about this, did you think to yourself he doesn’t know what I know right now?” Le Batard asked.
Torre responded that he believed Silver was unaware of the full details. He explained that his decision to publish the information came only after extensive fact-checking that met “the highest standards of publishing.”
Silver, speaking Wednesday, had emphasized the importance of due process while defending Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Leonard from premature conclusions.
“The public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false,” Silver said. “I’d want anybody else in the situation Mr. Ballmer is in now, or Kawhi Leonard for that matter, to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me.”
Adam Silver cites powers as Clippers, Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard scandal widens
Silver also pointed to the wide scope of his authority as commissioner. He said the NBA’s rules allow him to impose a range of penalties, including financial sanctions, the seizure of draft picks, and suspensions if violations are proven.
The Clippers’ arrangement with Aspiration has come under scrutiny after reports alleged that Ballmer invested $50 million in the company in 2021, the same month it signed a $300 million arena sponsorship deal with the franchise. In 2022, Aspiration agreed to a $28 million contract with Leonard and, according to The Athletic, also offered him $20 million in equity through company co-founder Joseph Sanberg. Aspiration filed for bankruptcy this year, and Sanberg has since pleaded guilty to defrauding investors.
The revelations have raised questions about whether the arrangement was designed to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap. The league has hired law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate.
Torre said his reporting indicates that the links between Leonard, Aspiration, and Ballmer extend further than what Silver has publicly acknowledged. His comments underscore the uncertainty surrounding how much the commissioner and other league officials know about the scope of the case.
For now, Silver has urged patience, insisting that the investigation will guide any decisions on potential penalties. Torre’s remarks, however, suggest that the commissioner himself may be learning critical details as the case unfolds.
