The Los Angeles Clippers are having a bad season on the court and off. Alarmingly, the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard is in the middle of a scandal that could derail him and the team. But now recent developments indicate that the NBA investigation into Aspiration might not uncover any wrongdoing, according to The Athletic.
The Clippers have had many curious issues this season, including the sudden departure of Chris Paul. But this scandal has become the biggest cloud looming over the team. It all stemmed from Aspiration, a former sponsor of the Clippers. Investigative journalist Pablo Torre alleged that in 2021, Leonard signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration. What that meant was that he received payments even if he did no work.
What made this so controversial was that the organization linked the payments to Leonard being a member of the Clippers. This raised concern over how owner Steve Ballmer could have manipulated the NBA salary cap rules to pay Leonard more without using the cap.
The Clippers have always maintained they did nothing wrong in their dealings with Aspiration. Ballmer contributed $50 million to Aspiration in 2021, which only further confuses how they handled business.
Despite that, the Clippers have struggled to avoid off-court drama, as it has severely affected them on the court. The Clippers just beat the Atlanta Hawks 115-92. But before that, they had lost five in a row and had gone 2-13 in November, highlighting an ugly stretch that put them toward the bottom of the standings.
When the season began, many predicted the Clippers could rule the Pacific Division. Instead, they have endured controversy and injuries to some of their best players. This has caused fans to sour on the Clippers. Even if Leonard faces no punishment from the NBA for whatever happened with Aspiration, he might not find better rewards on the court, as the Clippers continue to struggle.
