Uncovered text messages involving Kawhi Leonard‘s uncle, Dennis Robertson, have added fuel to the ongoing investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers used Aspiration to funnel extra compensation to the star, potentially in violation of NBA salary cap rules, according to journalist Pablo Torre.
On a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, Torre presented what he described as a screenshot of a message sent from Robertson to Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg.
The text reads: “Good morning Joe. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Just a heads up things are still dragging. Mike has the contract for about 14 days now. Haven’t heard back. Thanks. Just keeping you informed.”
Torre‘s investigation links this message to negotiations over an additional $20 million in equity.
Aspiration was reportedly promising Leonard, on top of a $28 million endorsement deal that required no evident promotional work.
Clarity on the deal and who’s involved
The endorsement deal in question was structured in 2022 between Aspiration, a now-bankrupt environmental fintech, and Leonard’s entity KL2 Aspire LLC.
The agreement’s base was $28 million, spread over four years, but additional payments in stock or equity from Sanberg personally reportedly pushed Leonard’s total promised compensation to about $48 million.
As Torre reported, the text from Uncle Dennis appears aimed at ensuring the equity portion is formalized.
The “Mike” mentioned in the message has been identified as Mike Shuckerow, the general counsel for Aspiration.
Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong invested roughly $2 million in Aspiration in December 2022, just days before a $1.75 million payment was made to Leonard under the endorsement deal, at a time when Aspiration was laying off employees and running into serious financial trouble.
Legal and league implications
These revelations intensify the questions around whether this arrangement was used to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.
The cap is designed to ensure competitive balance by limiting how much teams can pay players relative to their declared salary.
If Leonard was receiving additional compensation through an equity deal tied to Aspiration, compensation not properly disclosed or accounted for, that could breach league rules.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has reportedly invested tens of millions into Aspiration. Ballmer has denied that he or the team engaged in any misconduct.
Leonard has not publicly addressed the new allegations. The NBA has opened an investigation, hiring outside counsel to examine the financial relationship between Aspiration, the Clippers, and Leonard.
As the NBA investigation unfolds, potential outcomes could range from fines to voiding of contracts to loss of draft picks if the league determines that any rules were violated.
For now, these texts represent a new focal point for both legal scrutiny and public debate over ethical practices in athlete compensation and team financial conduct.
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