Kawhi Leonard has broken his silence about Aspiration.
The Clippers held media day on Monday, with Leonard making his first public comments since Pablo Torre reported this month on his alleged “no-show job” with the failed environmental start-up to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.
Both Leonard and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said they’ve done nothing wrong and welcome the NBA’s investigation into the matter.
“The NBA is going to do their job,” Leonard told reporters. “None of us did no wrongdoing. That’s it. We invite the investigations. It’s not going to be a distraction for me or my team.”
Leonard is at the center of the investigation that implicates a variety of people from his inner circle including his uncle Dennis Robertson, his agent Mitch Frankel, and Clippers owners Steve Ballmer and Dennis Wong. Leonard allegedly had a four-year deal with Aspiration that totaled $48 million in compensation.
While speaking with reporters, Leonard was asked about his contract with Aspiration and if he received money for no work with the company.
“I understand the full contract and the services I had to do,” Leonard said. “I don’t deal with conspiracies or the clickbait analyst or journalism that’s going on.”
Leonard was asked to clarify whether he had a no-show contract with the company.
“I don’t think it’s accurate,” he said. “This is old. This is all new to you guys. The company went bankrupt a while ago so we knew this was going to happen.”
He also said he did not receive the money he was supposed to from the deal or the bankruptcy filing, but couldn’t recall the exact amount.
Frank was asked whether Robertson asked the Clippers for improper benefits during Leonard’s 2019 free agency; Robertson reportedly requested this of multiple teams.
“Dennis knows the rules,” Frank said. “Kawhi knows the rules. Mitch Frankel knows the rules and we know the rules.”
A reporter followed up and asked Frank whether that is a yes or no to Robertson asking for illegal benefits in return for Leonard signing with the team.
“Yes, we all know the rules,” Frank responded.
The NBA’s investigation into the Clippers and Aspiration isn’t expected to wrap up until after the All-Star Game in February 2026, which will be hosted at the Intuit Dome, the team’s home arena.
“We are glad there’s an investigation, and we welcome it,” Frank said. “We’re eager for the truth to come out. The assumptions and conclusions that have been made are disappointing and upsetting. We expect the investigation to show that these allegations are wrong.”
