The Los Angeles Clippers are no strangers to high-stakes drama, but the latest storm brewing around Kawhi Leonard’s $28 million “no-show” endorsement deal with a now-bankrupt environmental startup—Aspiration—has thrust owner Steve Ballmer’s aggressive spending habits into the NBA’s crosshairs. Former Aspiration employees, speaking anonymously to the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, alleged the 2022 agreement was a blatant salary-cap workaround, funneling off-the-books cash to Leonard without triggering league penalties.

The Clippers, still stinging from a first-round playoff flameout against the Denver Nuggets in May, now face questions that could overshadow their Intuit Dome era: Is Ballmer’s win-at-all-costs ethos a virtue or a violation? The Clippers fired back with a fiery statement:

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