Mark Cuban Defends Steve Ballmer Amid Clippers Salary Cap Investigation

The Los Angeles Clippers and their owner Steve Ballmer are under scrutiny after journalist Pablo Torre reported allegations that Ballmer used a $28 million no-show marketing deal through the company Aspiration to circumvent the NBA salary cap in paying star player Kawhi Leonard. Torre's investigation, based on legal documents and bankruptcy filings, suggests that Leonard’s contract with Aspiration was a scheme to supplement his official Clippers salary without breaching league rules. In response, former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban strongly defended Ballmer and the Clippers, arguing that Ballmer would not risk such a scheme given the personal and professional stakes, and that the Clippers were actually victims of Aspiration’s fraudulent activities. Cuban pointed to a $300 million sponsorship deal between Aspiration and the Clippers, suggesting the startup's financial misconduct was aimed at benefiting the team rather than cheating the salary cap. The NBA has launched its own investigation following Torre’s report, while Cuban accused Torre of bias and invited him to discuss the matter further on his podcast. This controversy has sparked widespread debate about salary cap circumvention and the integrity of NBA team management.