Why is Mark Cuban Defending Clippers Amid Kawhi Leonard Aspiration Investigation?

As the LA Clippers continue to be investigated by the NBA, further details from Pablo Torre — the investigative reporter who first brought allegations against Steve Baller, Kawhi Leonard and the team — have emerged.

Torre, after initially reporting that Leonard signed a four-year, $28 million "no-show" deal with environmental start up Aspiration, now claims that the Clippers made a $21 million payment to Aspiration for "carbon credits."

Said payment came two weeks prior to Leonard's first payment, received through a limited liability company registered as "KL2 Aspire." The Clippers, like the other allegations, denied Torre's claim.

The Clippers have released a new statement. pic.twitter.com/nEiwQU6Ef2
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) September 18, 2025

“Steve and his family are focused on sustainability," the team wrote in a statement, "which is why Intuit Dome was designed to be a carbon neutral building from its inception and to achieve LEED Zero status over time.

"Our development agreements for the arena included mandates to buy carbon credits, but after studying the issue of neutrality, we went far beyond those requirements, exploring ways to address emissions from our fans and contracting with Aspiration to directly purchase carbon offsets, as well as broker the acquisition of additional offsets."

Amid the ongoing investigation, former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban has taken against Torre on X, formerly Twitter.

Why is Cuban Defending Ballmer?

In a post shared following Torre's report, Cuban oozed sarcasm.

"Glad I could help!" he wrote before tearing into Torre's rhetoric.

Pablo. Glad I could help!
Will you now admit that you and your sources who said it was common knowledge the $50m was for cap circumvention were incorrect ? And the Wong 2m and 10m weren’t directed to KL ?

And You focus too much on the dates. A contract paid quarterly is… https://t.co/eVMAYghrnC
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 18, 2025

Cuban argued that the scandal isn’t an owner-led salary cap scheme, but rather an effort spearheaded by Joe Sanberg — the co-founder of now-defunct Aspiration currently facing decades of prison time for multiple counts of wire fraud — to prop up a shaky merger and make the company’s books look healthier.

In short, Sanberg knew the kind of hole he'd dug himself into and effectively "conned" Ballmer and the Clippers, as the team owner has asserted several times since the NBA launched its investigation. And according to Cuban, Ballmer wasn't the only one negatively impacted.

"I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up," Ballmer said during an exclusive interview with ESPN, "and they conned me at this stage. I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi."

Mar 28, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer leaves his court side seat after a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Cuban made clear his opinions on the matter weren't personal attacks aimed at Torre; considering his business expertise, he has ground to stand on.

As the investigation into the Clippers and Aspiration continues, it will slowly become a matter of which has more evidence against the other.

Why is Cuban Defending Ballmer?

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