'Smoking gun': Clippers linked to $1.75M KL02 payment

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Nine days after Los Angeles Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong invested USD $1.99M in Aspiration NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard was paid $1.75M as part of his "no-show" endorsement with the now bankrupt fin-tech company, Pablo Torre has revealed.

The NBA is investigating whether the Los Angeles Clippers paid two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP Leonard in violation of salary cap regulations. Leonard signed a four-year $28M deal with Aspiration right around the time of his $176M contract extension with the Clippers in 2021.

"Inside of Aspiration according to my seven sources as well as Aspiration's internal cash forecast for sponsorship payments, which is a spreadsheet I obtained that you, David (Sampson), now get to review in your mystery folder there," Torre said on his podcast Pablo Finds Out.

"So the smoking gun question we're all contemplating, it's the thing that I think I have uncovered. One of the company's absolute top priorities, despite the total financial sh*t show enveloping this company, was simple: Pay KL2 Aspire LLC."

Former 17-year Miami Marlins president Sampson of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball from 2002 until September 2017 was part of Torre's podcast panel examining the leaked Aspiration documentation, he confirmed the document was "marked critical".

The documents show nine days after Wong invested close to $2M, Leonard was paid $1.75M — the same Aspiration laid off about 20% of its staff.

"Something happened just nine days before the wire out to Kawhi's KL2 Aspire LLC for $1.75 million on December 15th," Torre said.

"On December 6th of 2022, a wire in from DE A88 Investments in the amount of one million nine hundred ninety nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine dollars and fifty nine cents. I said to myself, should probably look up the registered agent on file for DE A88 Investments LP, and it turned out to be a man named Dennis. Not Uncle Dennis. Dennis J. Wong, a different Dennis, is the vice chairman of Los Angeles Clippers.

"He is the one and only limited partner, in fact, of the team. This has not been reported previously because the ownership group is Steve Ballmer owning 99%, right, and Dennis J. Wong owning 1%, and that's it.

"But I did want to know what my second source knew at the time about the different Dennis in question. How surprising is it that a new investor would put money in, in December 2022, who had not already clearly been deeply invested into the company?"

Samson was stunned.

"It is beyond shocking," he responded.

"And I will tell you, I knew that the board, I knew that they had put money in, in December to make payroll and make rent and all that material.

"It is not a rational investment that someone would make. So it is, it is very shocking to me that $2M was made as an investment by Dennis Wong, who in my text is identified as the Clippers, Steve Ballmer's partner. It was a week before $1.75 million was paid to KL02.

Torre said he had contacted Wong and Clippers for comment but received only a statement.

"The details of our relationship with aspiration are under NBA investigation, but it is clear the company was a house of cards that defrauded Steve and many others. We look forward to sharing the facts with the league and providing them with all the information they need," the statement said.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the allegations and investigations as part of an owners' meeting in New York on Thursday, September 11, 2025 (AEST).

"The burden [of proof] is on the league if we're going to discipline a team, owner or player ... As a matter of fundamental fairness I would be reluctant to act if there was only an appearance of impropriety ... The public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be false," he said.

What we know so far

• Allegation: $28M no-show endorsement via Aspiration to Kawhi Leonard, potentially cap avoidance.
• New revelation: Documents reveal Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong invested about $2M into the Aspiration and nine days later Kawhi's LLC was paid $1.75M.
• Investigation: Officially initiated by the NBA. They have hired law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, tasked with examining whether Ballmer’s $50M investment in Aspiration was connected to payments made to Leonard, and if this violated league disclosure and approval rules for owner–player business ties.
• Denials: Clippers/Steve Ballmer deny wrongdoing. "The introduction got made and then they were off to the races on, on their own. We weren't involved," Ballmer said.
• Legal Evidence: Bankruptcy documents, creditor claims, and Aspiration’s collapse
• Possible Outcomes: Fines, suspensions, draft pick forfeiture, contract nullification

Who is Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong

Dennis Wong is a minority owner and Vice Chairman of the Los Angeles Clippers. A longtime real-estate and investments executive, he is CEO/CIO of Verbena Road Holdings and co-founded SPI Holdings (a U.S. real-estate investment firm). He’s worked closely with Steve Ballmer on team business moves — including forming CAPSS LLC together to acquire The Forum in 2020 as part of the Clippers’ arena plans. He has been listed in the Clippers’ leadership since the 2019–20 season.

Who is Clippers owner Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer, born March 24, 1956, is an American businessman and philanthropist best known as the energetic owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, which he purchased in 2014 for $2 billion after serving as Microsoft’s CEO from 2000 to 2014. A Harvard classmate of Bill Gates, Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 and rose through the ranks, helping expand the company into enterprise software, gaming, and cloud infrastructure. With a net worth exceeding $100 billion, he has become one of the world’s wealthiest people, known for his passionate courtside presence, his role in developing the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome arena, and his philanthropy through the Ballmer Group, which supports education and poverty reduction.

Who is Uncle Dennis

“Uncle Dennis” is Dennis Robertson, the uncle of NBA star Kawhi Leonard. He is not just family — Robertson has long acted as Leonard’s close advisor and de facto business manager. Around the league, “Uncle Dennis” became a well-known figure during Kawhi’s free agency periods, particularly in 2019 when Leonard left the Toronto Raptors and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Reports at the time described him as deeply involved in negotiations and sponsorship deals, sometimes drawing scrutiny for allegedly seeking special perks or additional commitments from teams.