Patrick Beverley's Surprising Clippers Promise Resurfaces Amid Kawhi Investigation

If you've been following the news lately, you'd know that things have certainly been better for the Los Angeles Clippers, team governor Steve Ballmer, and franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard.

Popular podcaster Pablo Torre, formerly of ESPN but now with The Athletic, has gone the investigative journalism equivalent of scorched earth on the Clippers organization. It began with the revelation that Ballmer and environmental front Aspiration may have been involved in arranging a Sopranos-style no-show job for Leonard to evade the cap, a move Ballmer denied on national TV.

In 2022, Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong made an almost $2M investment in Aspiration, which then paid Kawhi Leonard $1.75M — as required through his endorsement contract with the environmental company, according to the latest allegations made on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out”… pic.twitter.com/iMuvz426Mw
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 11, 2025

The latest developments have seen Torre release more documents and damning information that seemingly corroborate his reporting and discredit Ballmer and the Clippers' defense. As is typically the case during a time of crisis on the internet, social media sleuths also began to unearth headlines from the past that appear more concerning in the context of recent developments.

It's not just fans adding fuel to the narrative fire either. On a recent episode of the self-titled "Pat Bev Podcast", former Clippers guard Patrick Beverly revealed that the Clippers fell short on a handshake agreement to build 94 basketball courts to sweeten a deal for Beverly to stay with the Clippers when he had better offers from other teams.

Pat Bev says Steve Ballmer promised him 94 basketball courts anywhere he wanted around LA after he turned down a 3-year, $50M offer from the Kings to return to the Clippers for $10M less

Covid hit and only 2 of the courts got built

(Via @PatBevPod) pic.twitter.com/b3dNXZU2BI
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 14, 2025

"I got promised 94 courts, Rone," Beverly told his co-host, Barstool's Adam Ferrone. "He shook my hand, Rone. Rone, I'm talking about, like I'm shocked. (Expletive) owes me courts, Rone. When I come back, ask for courts, and (expletive) go silent, but I'm looking at a (expletive) futuristic arena getting built right in front of me. Hey man, something wrong. Something going on right here."

While it's not unusual for a star player like Kawhi Leonard to receive this kind of treatment, it is surprising that someone like Beverley was given a promise, and then it was ignored. Therefore, this story doesn't bode well with the Clippers amid their investigation.

"Something's fishy. 94, I won't make this (expletive) up. He said, yeah, I'll give you 94. Shook my hand, I even said, oh that's dope, man. That's real. Shook my hand and everything. What's up with them courts? (He) turned the other head."

With NBA training camp set to open in the coming weeks, it's a safe guess that the Los Angeles Clippers' organization and the NBA as a whole want to get as far away from this Aspiration scandal as possible, but if Torres' reporting patterns have proven anything, it's that he likely has even more information he's waiting to release.

Regardless, the Clippers are in a sticky situation as an organization at the moment, and a resolution doesn't appear to be coming in the near future.

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