The NBA has strongly disputed an ESPN report about its investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, signaling that the case remains far from resolved.
ESPN reported that investigators found no evidence Clippers owner Steve Ballmer personally funneled money to Leonard through team sponsors to circumvent the salary cap.
The investigation is reportedly instead examining whether Los Angeles broke rules by connecting Leonard with business partners.
“ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation – for which the NBA declined to cooperate – contains numerous and significant inaccuracies,” league spokesman Mike Bass said. “The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.”
The NBA did not specify which parts of the report were inaccurate.
The investigation began following allegations that Leonard received a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal from Aspiration, a company with financial ties to Ballmer and the Clippers.
The agreement was alleged to be a “no-show” arrangement designed to provide Leonard additional compensation outside the salary cap.
Ballmer and the Clippers have consistently denied wrongdoing, while the probe has reportedly expanded to Leonard’s relationships with other team partners.
The uncertainty has also put Leonard’s potential trade back to the Toronto Raptors on hold.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver previously called salary-cap circumvention a “cardinal sin,” but stressed that punishment requires solid evidence.
Despite ESPN’s potentially favorable report for the Clippers, the NBA insists the investigation has not reached its conclusion.
NBA unloads on ESPN over ‘numerous’ inaccuracies in Clippers bombshell https://t.co/P3TBGGHYG9 pic.twitter.com/AA8ee7QxDJ
— New York Post (@nypost) August 17, 2026
