Steve Ballmer Sued by Aspiration Investors Over Alleged Scheme to Funnel Millions to Kawhi Leonard
Written by admin on November 5, 2025
The lawsuit claims the Clippers owner used the firm to secretly pay Leonard beyond the NBA salary cap.
Steve Ballmer, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is being sued by 11 former Aspiration investors, who claim the company was used to pay Kawhi Leonard compensation that circumvented the NBA salary cap.
According to USA Today, the former Microsoft executive used the company, whose name is now Catona, “to secretly funnel millions of dollars to star NBA player, Kawhi Leonard.”
“Ballmer was complicit in and aided and abetted (co-founder Joe) Sanberg’s fraud for his own self-serving purpose,” the lawsuit reads.
“It served Ballmer’s interest in getting extra money to Leonard so he could circumvent the salary cap, beat out the competition and re-sign his team’s superstar player,” the lawsuit continues. “Ballmer was complicit in and aided and abetted Sanberg’s fraud for his own self-serving purpose. Ballmer publicly endorsed Catona and infused over $50 million into the company. Absent Ballmer’s support, Catona could not have sustained the frauds set forth herein.”The suit claims that Ballamer knowingly transferred money to compensate Lenoard above his lucrative contract.
“Plaintiffs allege that Ballmer transferred other funds to (Aspiration) to keep the company afloat and buy Sanberg’s support, cooperation and silence about the secret deal with Leonard. The full extent of Ballmer’s transfers of funds to (Aspiration) and Sandberg will be ascertained in discovery,” the lawsuit said.
Currently, the NBA is investigating the Clippers and Aspiration. Commissioner Adam Silver said last month “that there is no timetable for the probe to reach a conclusion.” Also, the All-Star Game, which is scheduled to be held at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, will proceed.
“There’s no contemplation of moving the All-Star Game, and planning for the All-Star Game and the surrounding activities are operating completely independently of the ongoing investigation,” Silver said.
Ballmer has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and during an interview with ESPN in September, claiming he was “duped” by the company.
