The NBA vetted and approved a $300 million sponsorship deal between the LA Clippers and Aspiration in 2021, months before the green banking company signed a separate deal with star Kawhi Leonard that has triggered a salary cap-circumvention investigation by the league, multiple sources told ESPN.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the arrangement said the Clippers submitted the 23-year agreement to the NBA for approval before the deal was announced in September 2021, as was required under league rules because it contained a jersey patch component, the sources said.
The NBA does not require teams to submit all sponsorship agreements for review. But some types of sponsorships, including signage that's viewable on television broadcasts and jersey patches, are subject to heightened rules or approval by the league. Sponsorships with companies tied to cannabis, gaming and energy drinks are also subject to league review.
"Teams vet their own sponsorship partners and negotiate their own sponsorship agreements," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement to ESPN. "Given the jersey patch's inclusion on player jerseys and its level of exposure across game telecasts, the league reviews and approves jersey patch arrangements pursuant to league rules that are intended to avoid potential brand issues or conflicts with league partnerships."
35 comments
Feel like we already knew this
Silver definitely heard about Aspiration and still tried to lie. Clippers really aren’t going to get punished are they?
Cool now what about the sponsorship deal between KL and Aspiration.
!
> People familiar with the process suggested the probe could take several months, perhaps not concluding in full until after the 2026 NBA playoffs.
> But those same people also pointed out that, per the terms of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, Silver is not solely responsible for deciding whether the Clippers will be punished, depending on the findings.
> Rather, Wachtell Lipton will bring its findings to the league office, and Silver would have to decide, based on the findings (or lack thereof), whether to bring any potential evidence to a neutral arbitrator appointed by both the NBA and the NBA Players Association, the people said.
Is this news? This doesn’t change anything if the NBA vetted Aspiration before they signed Kawhi
NBA was not vetting for ‘is this company a pyramid scheme?’. they were vetting for ‘does this brand conflict with our other sponsors’.
Nothings going to happen to the Clips. This country (and this basketball league apparently) runs on the golden rule- those with the gold get to make the rules.
This isn’t new news
Take picks away from the Clippers at least
Again, people need to understand that nothing is going to happen, and this is why.
$300 million says the league isn’t just dreaming, they believe in Holmes. Can’t wait to see him back out there proving all the doubters wrong
Adam Silver is such a slimy lying piece of shit.
Everything in America is basically rigged and corrupt these days so don’t be surprised when nothing happens.
the longer this drags the more the celtics should complain about their payroll and luxury tax
So maybe this is why Silver never seen or heard a single thing about Aspiration ever, not one single thing. 🧐
Plot twist: Silver himself got a kickback for its vetting and approval. And that’s exactly why he’s slow-walking this investigation, to buy time to create a believable alibi/out for himself and his closest allies.
Not the part we’re worried about but ok
Wait how did the NBA get scammed and defrauded by Aspiration? Are they fucking stupid?
If Al Davis was still alive and owned an NBA team the amount of lawsuits filed would be ridiculous
Looks like the Clippers are gonna get the maximum punishment: forfeiture of two future second round picks.
Why is this news? Of course the NBA approved it.
This is like pathetic stuff, all to not catch anyone, they haven’t even really got a system, owners can basically do what they want with periphery connected companies in this global conglomerate connected world.
Honestly. I don’t even care anymore. I’ve said in previous posts. The NBPA needs to use this to get rid of the salary cap. Adam Silver already has an interest in promotion and relegation. It’s the next step in this kind of stuff. People get bored. In the early NBA season, people like it, the NBA Cup means nothing, and then the end of the season and playoffs matter.
Seeing some of the comments on here just tells you how clueless some people are. Acting like this is some evidence the Clippers did no wrongdoing LOL. This literally tells us nothing other than Adam Silver is a straight up liar when he said he never heard of the company Aspiration before.
So the NBA is at fault no wonder they are dragging their feet
They soft launching the “we found nothing wrong in our investigation”
This is something we already knew and while the soundbite from Silver is a whoopsie it has almost no impact on the story.
Has anyone heard from any players who actually care or is it just y’all and the Pablo Stans?
We already knew this
Don’t we already know this part? ESPN posting like it’s some new news is wild. They want this story covered up just as much as the league and owners.
this is obvious? They have to vet and approve all sponsorship deals. This is not new.
NBA knew what it was, what Balmer was doing and didn’t care. Getting the best player at the time to the 3nd biggest market is what they wanted
I haven’t commented too much about this but I do see some parallels with the Man City charges.
The accused party has the wealth and resources to muddy the waters and delay proceedings. Meanwhile the investigating party doesn’t actually have their heart set on finding guilt and serving up punishment because of the big picture $ implications.
Ultimately, the rest of the league sees the writing on the wall that it’s in their best interests to try and bend the rules wherever possible, and this all probably gets swept under the rug.
Yeah, they vetted it, but not in that context. /s
Vetted maximum