By Annasofia Scheve, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-09-03 11:57:49
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2016年3月12日，在圣安东尼奥举行的一场NBA篮球比赛中，时任圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋的科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 在下半场与教练格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 交谈。
根据体育记者巴勃罗·托雷 (Pablo Torre) 的一篇报道，洛杉矶快船队老板史蒂夫·鲍尔默 (Steve Ballmer) 被指控向前圣安东尼奥马刺队球星科怀·伦纳德支付了2800万美元的“挂名合同”，以规避NBA的工资帽。
托雷在他周三的一期播客节目《巴勃罗·托雷大发现》(Pablo Torre Finds Out)中表示，这项涉嫌的计划源于一家名为Aspiration的欺诈性植树公司，该公司由鲍尔默出资，并已于今年三月申请破产。
独家消息：根据@ PabloTorre 获取的文件，科怀·伦纳德与一家欺诈性植树公司签订了一份价值2800万美元的代言合同，而这份合同实际上是一份“挂名虚职”。该公司由快船队老板史蒂夫·鲍尔默出资5000万美元。
一位内部消息人士称：“此举就是为了规避工资帽。” pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@ pablofindsout) 2025年9月3日
Aspiration的联合创始人约瑟夫·桑伯格 (Joseph Sanberg) 和易卜拉欣·阿明·侯赛尼 (Ibrahim Ameen AlHusseini) 已在联邦法院对电信欺诈罪名认罪。据联邦检察官透露，侯赛尼伪造了文件和信息，以帮助桑伯格欺骗投资者。
根据托雷获得的一份破产申请文件，Aspiration公司欠一家名为KL2 Aspire LLC的实体700万美元。
而这家有限责任公司登记的所有者？正是伦纳德。
托雷在播客节目中表示，他“搜遍了”互联网和伦纳德的社交媒体页面，想找到任何他为Aspiration公司进行宣传的痕迹，但结果一条相关帖子都没找到。
于是，这位记者开始联系Aspiration公司的前员工，询问有关这份文件的问题。
该公司财务部门的一位匿名前员工向他提供了一份已签署的协议副本，内容为Aspiration公司将在2022年4月至2026年3月期间向KL2 LLC支付2800万美元——即每年700万美元。
这位要求匿名的前员工告诉托雷，“此举就是为了规避”NBA设定的“工资帽”。该员工还表示，根据这份所谓的营销协议，伦纳德“什么都不用做”。
快船队在给托雷的一份声明中否认了这些指控。
球队声明称：“鲍尔默先生和快船队都没有规避工资帽，也没有参与任何与Aspiration公司相关的不当行为。任何相反的说法都完全是虚假的，并且可以被证伪。”
点击查看原文：Clippers allegedly paid Kawhi Leonard millions in 'no show deal'
Clippers allegedly paid Kawhi Leonard millions in ‘no show deal’
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard talks with coach Gregg Popovich during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in San Antonio on March 12, 2016.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is accused of paying former San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard $28 million in a “no show deal” to skirt the NBA salary cap, according to a report from sports journalist Pablo Torre.
The alleged scheme stems from fraudulent tree-planting company Aspiration, which was funded by Ballmer and filed for bankruptcy in March, Torre said in a Wednesday episode of his podcast, “Pablo Torre Finds Out.”
Exclusive: Kawhi Leonard signed a $28M endorsement deal for a “no-show job” with a fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50M from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, according to documents obtained by @ PabloTorre.
“It was to circumvent the salary cap,” an inside source says. pic.twitter.com/F6z5pNEkI1
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@ pablofindsout) September 3, 2025
Aspiration’s co-founders, Joseph Sanberg and Ibrahim Ameen AlHusseini, have pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud. AlHusseini falsified documents and information to help Sanberg defraud investors, according to federal prosecutors.
According to a bankruptcy filing obtained by Torre, Aspiration owed $7 million to an entity called KL2 Aspire LLC.
Listed as the LLC’s owner? Leonard.
Torre said he “scoured” the internet and Leonard’s social media pages for instances where he promoted Aspiration. He didn’t find a single post, Torre said in the podcast episode.
The journalist began contacting former Aspiration employees with questions about the filing.
An unnamed former employee in the company’s finance department provided him with a copy of a signed agreement for Aspiration to pay KL2 LLC $28 million between April 2022 and March 2026 — $7 million a year.
The former employee, who remained anonymous, told Torre “it was to circumvent the salary cap” set by the NBA. The employee said Leonard “didn’t have to do anything” under the supposed marketing agreement.
The Clippers denied the allegations in a statement to Torre.
“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false,” the team said.
By Annasofia Scheve, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News