The Los Angeles Clippers are denying any wrongdoing in an official assertion launched amid Wednesday’s allegations in opposition to star participant Kawhi Leonard and proprietor Steve Ballmer.
A bombshell report by journalist Pablo Torre got here out Wednesday alleging that the Clippers and Ballmer used a phony cope with Aspiration, a celebrity-endorsed tree firm, so as to circumvent the NBA wage cap and have the ability to signal Leonard again in 2019 free company.
Aspiration, which was an official sponsor of the Clippers from 2021-23. filed for chapter earlier this yr. Torre says that he was capable of get hold of paperwork detailing the alleged deal between Leonard and the corporate courtesy of a number of former Aspiration workers.
You’ll be able to learn the complete particulars of Torre’s report here.
On Wednesday night time, the Clippers launched a powerful assertion on the allegations. They denied circumventing the wage cap and referred to as the claims “absurd.” The Clippers additionally acknowledged that Aspiration engaged in “market manipulation” and “defrauded” Ballmer and others previous to the corporate submitting for chapter.
The assertion famous as properly that Aspiration’s co-founder Joseph Sandberg just lately pleaded responsible to a $243M fraud and that the Clippers’ sponsorship settlement with Aspiration was terminated on account of the corporate “defaulting on its contract.”
