Kawhi Leonard has been accused of signing a paid, no-show endorsement deal with a fake tree company, allegedly owned by LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. According to a whistleblower, Leonard received $28 million in the agreement to allow the Clippers to circumvent the salary cap.According to Pablo Torre, a company named Aspiration filed for bankruptcy in March 2025 and was later revealed to be a fraudulent tree-planting company established by Ballmer. The company allegedly paid $28 million to KL2 Aspire, an entity owned by Leonard.In his "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast on Tuesday, Torre featured an anonymous employee of Aspiration, who claimed Leonard got the money to get around the NBA's salary rulings.“I didn’t so much as discover it as I was told about it,” the employee said. “My reaction was, ‘What the f—?’"“I was told, ‘These are the major players and major contracts you really need to be aware of… Oh, and by the way, we also have a marketing deal with Kawhi Leonard. A $28 million organic marketing sponsorship… If I had any questions about it, essentially don’t, because it was to circumvent the salary cap.'”The employee also claimed that Leonard never endorsed the company, but received money from it.“The single largest payment to an individual for marketing that Aspiration ever made has completely evaded all press. He didn’t have to do anything," the employee said.Leonard is currently on a three-year, $149.5 million contract with the Clippers, which he signed last year. He appeared in 37 games last season, averaging 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.LA Clippers react to Pablo Torre's allegations about owner Ballmer, LeonardThe LA Clippers were quick to react to Pablo Torre's claims, denying the allegations outright. In a statement to Torre on Tuesday, the Clippers called all the allegations against Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard "false."“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”Ballmer bought the Clippers in 2014 and has since sustained a playoff contender.Leonard is expected to continue to lead the Clippers next season after they added veterans Chris Paul, Bradley Beal and Brook Lopez, on top of former NBA MVP James Harden.