Steve Ballmer Claims Aspiration 'Conned Me' Amid Kawhi Leonard Endorsement Probe
Steve Ballmer Aspiration 'Conned Me' ... Speaks Out Amid Kawhi Leonard Probe
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Steve Ballmer is adamantly denying the L.A. Clippers had a role in Kawhi Leonard's massive endorsement deal with Aspiration ... claiming the contract came months after the NBA superstar already agreed to an extension with the team.
The billionaire owner opened up on the recent bombshell report on ESPN on Thursday ... kicking things off by saying the Clippers have always abided by the league's salary cap circumvention rules, as it's "the right thing to do."
Ballmer then went into detail on his relationship with the now-bankrupt company ... saying the team was approached regarding a potential sponsorship deal, and he felt it was a "match made in heaven" based on its emphasis on carbon neutrality.
He went on to say he checked out Aspiration's business plan and everything looked good ... so he went forward with a $50 million investment in the cause -- but as he later found out, it was all a fraud.
Ballmer said he had less than 3% of the company ... and had zero say in its decisions -- especially the $28 million sponsorship with his franchise player.
"These were guys who committed fraud," Ballmer said. "Look, they conned me. They conned me. I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up, and they conned me at this stage. I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi."
Ballmer stated the ink was dry on both the team's extension with Leonard and endorsement with Aspiration months before the company inquired about contacting the player ... and they ultimately helped with an introduction in November 2021, but that's where their involvement ended.
Ballmer said this is all provable ... and the team even provided all the evidence as part of the Department of Justice's investigation into Aspiration.
Just a few weeks ago, one of Aspiration's cofounders pleaded guilty to a $248 million scheme to defraud investors and lenders ... and Ballmer admitted he simply didn't see the signs.
"I reviewed, my staff reviewed primarily fraudulent financials," he said. "Now, should I have sniffed it out? Maybe I feel embarrassed and kind of silly that I didn't sniff it out, but I didn't."
