LOS ANGELES — The NBA has been conducting a nine-month investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the salary cap through a $28 million endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration, a now-bankrupt financial firm whose co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on June 1, 2026. The probe focuses on whether the Clippers participated in arranging Leonard’s deal beyond merely introducing him to company executives, which would violate Article 13 of the NBA collective bargaining agreement.

Sanberg pleaded guilty in October 2025 to federal charges of conspiring to defraud investors of $248 million by misrepresenting Aspiration as a socially conscious and sustainable financial services firm. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $60 million in Aspiration—$50 million in September 2021 and an additional $10 million on March 9, 2023. Ballmer later submitted a Victim Impact Statement requesting a stiff sentence for Sanberg.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described the investigation as “enormously complex” during All-Star Weekend in February 2026 at the Intuit Dome. “A company in bankruptcy, thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that needed to be interviewed,” Silver said.

According to court filings, Sanberg provided documentation and information helpful to the NBA’s probe during two in-person interviews. However, Ballmer’s attorney, David N. Kelley, challenged the reliability of Sanberg’s testimony. “Sanberg continues to exploit his fraud of Mr. Ballmer for his benefit, providing information to the NBA in return for a sentencing letter that the league submitted on his behalf,” Kelley wrote. He added, “The reliability of Sanberg’s information is suspect given that he has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, and the government has made its own determination that he is not credible.”

Kawhi Leonard, who has one year remaining on a three-year, $149.5 million contract that will pay him $50.3 million in the 2026–27 season, addressed the investigation after the Clippers’ season-ending game on April 15, 2026. “I think we’re going to be in the clear. I’m not stressing,” Leonard told The Athletic.

The NBA is not expected to release its findings until after the 2026 NBA Finals, which began on June 2, 2026. A violation of Article 13 could result in a $4.5 million fine, the loss of a first-round draft pick, and the voiding of Leonard’s contract.