Marks The testimonies from disgruntled ex-employees of Aspiration wouldnt count in NBA arbitration They will need to find a paper trail directly linking Ballmers investment with the deposits received by Leonard

Steve Ballmer In an exclusive interview with Ramona Shelburne and ESPN last year following Pablo Torres reporting on the Clippers alleged salary-cap circumvention through Aspiration They conned me

Pablo Torre says the NBA approached Steve Ballmer told him they found wrongdoing and tried to get him to admit to it and accept the punishment Instead Ballmer chose to fight it so the NBA turned around and found a way to settle the matter with Kawhi and the NBPA

PTFO The DOJ could build a criminal conspiracy case against Steve Ballmer and the Clippers for securities fraud in the Kawhi Leonard scandal per former federal prosecutors Even in 2026 a creative theory could map out a road to jail time And thats before the US president gets involved

Pablo Torre On Ballmers apology He is not admitting to wrongdoing that has been investigated and proven on our show and by the NBA And that is notable Its because the question of his own admission of guilt is at the heart of what the DOJ is looking into It is key to what the SEC is probing

Adam Silver answers Pablo Torre's question regarding the growing concern that wealthy individuals and entities are using the approval of the NBA to purchase credibility in the eyes of the public meaning fans and whether he plans on changing anything about the due diligence process

Quotes from Brian Windhorst Tim MacMahon Zach Lowe Chris Mannix and Jon Krawczynski describing how Clippers acted and lied personally to the media during the investigation Krawczynski It was a behind the scenes ferocious defense that was accusatory to anyone who dared question them