Steve Ballmer on ESPN (Image via X) The world of NBA was quite stunned when investigative journalist Pablo Torre revealed a report on the Los Angeles Clippers, their owner Steve Ballmer, and their star forward, Kawhi Leonard. The salary cap circumvention controversy has caught the eye of everyone, and the NBA is also launching an investigation into the matter. The Clippers as well as Ballmer have denied any wrongdoing on their part, and are open to said investigation. And now Steve Ballmer has doubled down on his stance in the matter, denying any involvement on his part.
Steve Ballmer denies salary cap circumvention allegations
Steve Ballmer recently sat down for an interview, where he vehemently denied the allegations against him as well as the Los Angeles Clippers, being involved in salary cap circumvention. He did not arrange any “no-show” endorsement deal between the fintech company, Aspiration and Clippers player Kawhi Leonard. Ballmer told ESPN SportsCenter:”We made an investment in the company. All fine. I had no control over this company. This is important under the salary cap rules. I owned less than three percent of the company. There were investors who put in a lot more money than I did. I had no board seat. I had no control. Heck, it was a fraudulent company. It’s possible nobody had control.”
Steve Ballmer denies report that Clippers circumvented NBA’s salary cap [FULL INTERVIEW]
He further added:”At that time, we hadn’t introduced Kawhi to Aspiration. We were done with Kawhi. We were done with Aspiration. The deals were all locked and loaded. Then they did ask to be introduced to Kawhi. Under the rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved. We made an introduction. … Where could any of this circumvention have happened? It didn’t. It couldn’t have.”But given Ballmer invested $50 million into the company, all eyes are on him and the Clippers as the NBA begins their investigation on this matter.
Steve Ballmer is adamant about having done the “right thing”
Throughout the interview, Steve Ballmer was adamant that he and the Clippers had always done what was right. He said that they are looking forward to the investigation, so that things can be clear for everyone and it can be proven that there was no wrongdoing on their part. His priority is the Clipper fans, and he wants to show them that “We’ve really emphasized on doing things the right way,” without taking any shortcuts. He wants his fans to know that they are an up-and-up organization, that does things the “right way,” and he hopes after the investigation is done, it can all be put to rest. He was very adamant about them following every rule in the NBA, and continuously kept denying any involvement with Kawhi Leonard’s $28 million 4-year endorsement deal with the fintech company. He also added that he made introductions between Leonard and Aspiration, but had no involvement in the deal. In fact, he said he didn’t even know there was a deal between the two parties. Pointing out the company’s fraudulent nature, he said he has no idea why any of it happened, and he is just as bewildered by the situation as anyone else. Also Read: Kawhi Leonard endorsement controversy gains another spark after Toronto Raptors deal come to light