Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The NBA has found no evidence that Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer evaded salary cap rules to pay Kawhi Leonard through sponsors, according to an ESPN report on Monday. But the NBA says the story contains major errors regarding the league’s 11-month investigation and the result will not be known until the probe is complete.
The report, citing unnamed sources familiar with discussions in the matter, said the probe went beyond Aspiration, the firm first linked to financial deals with Leonard, to at least three other companies to which the Clippers introduced Leonard. However, the report stated that there was no evidence showing Ballmer funneled money to Leonard through the firms, which had sponsorship ties to the Clippers.
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ESPN sources mentioned that a report on the probe was delivered in late July and both sides have been negotiating to bring a resolution to the investigation. The league responded after the story was released on the ESPN website, with NBA spokesman Mike Bass commenting, “ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation — for which the NBA declined to cooperate — contains numerous and significant inaccuracies.”
Bass further stated, “The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.” After Aspiration signed a sponsorship deal with the Clippers, Leonard subsequently signed a 2022 sponsorship deal with Aspiration.
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