The Los Angeles Clippers shut down a reporter during Media Day after questions about Kawhi Leonard’s $48 million deal with fintech firm Aspiration. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN recounted the incident, noting Clippers PR intervened and handed the mic to another journalist.
Shelburne described how team officials redirected questions to basketball-related topics, limiting inquiries on the controversial deal. Law Murray of The Athletic later asked about the Aspiration arrangement, receiving a brief answer before the session ended.
“Then I asked questions. Then I could have kept going, but somebody kind of reached out and grabbed the mic from me,” Shelburne said on ESPN LA, via HoopsHype. “Somebody from Clippers PR, yeah, was like, ‘Okay, you’re done now.’ And then it went to a team reporter—a team TV reporter—who asked about being healthy during the offseason.
“And then the next one was like the team radio person, and they asked another question that was more basketball related, right? Then it got back to, I think, Law Murray from The Athletic, who asked an Aspiration question. But it was something about, ‘How do you not make it a distraction?’ or something. And he gave a whatever kind of answer to that, and then he was done.”
The question comes amid an investigative series by Pablo Torre, who detailed Leonard’s financial ties to Aspiration. Torre reported that the deal required Leonard to remain with the Clippers to receive payments, and internal texts revealed internal resistance from Aspiration executives over its structure and cost.
Torre highlighted that Leonard received more than four times what Aspiration paid other celebrities, including Drake, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert Downey Jr. The journalist noted that co-founder Joe Sanberg personally guaranteed a $20 million equity offer tied to the player.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s connections to Aspiration also surfaced, including personal investments and charitable donations linked to the company. Ballmer insists he was defrauded, and the team denies wrongdoing.
The NBA is investigating the deal, with potential penalties including fines, suspensions, and draft pick forfeitures. League sources expect a resolution in the 2025–26 season’s second half. Commissioner Adam Silver emphasized due process and the need for a full review.
Leonard has not publicly commented on the matter, and the Clippers cut ties with Aspiration in 2022–23, citing defaults. Despite the controversy, Leonard remains under contract with the Clippers, set to earn over $50 million next season.
