Xiaoka is suspected of signing a Yin-Yang endorsement contract: Ballmer is the behind-the-scenes shareholder. This move is to evade the salary cap

On September 3, according to US media reporter Pablo Torre, Clippers star Xiao Ka was suspected of signing a $28 million "listed position" endorsement agreement with a fraudulent company, and the company was actually secretly invested by Clippers boss Steve Ballmer. Sources said the move was entirely intended to "avoid the salary cap".

It is reported that NBA management has doubted why Ballmer and the Clippers could sign Leonard, the most valuable player in the free market, but the league's investigation found no evidence that Ballmer attracted Leonard to join through additional benefits. But in March this year, a company called Aspiration announced bankruptcy, bringing some clues to the surface. Torre said that over the past seven months, he has investigated 3,487 documents and interviewed multiple internal sources and found clues.

It is understood that although Aspiration is suspected of fraud, it has listed a list of creditors in their bankruptcy filing. The Los Angeles Clippers owed the most is the Los Angeles Clippers, and a small company owed $7 million, its name is KL2 Aspire, and the manager registered on the company's documents is Leonard.

Leonard reportedly signed a $28 million endorsement contract with Aspiration, but the job is actually a nominee position. It is understood that the company received $50 million in funding provided by Ballmer.

The reporter interviewed dozens of former employees of Aspiration and obtained a signed legal document, which showed: "In view of the rights and interests obtained by the company, the company will pay KL2 (i.e., Leonard) $28 million in cash. During the term of this agreement, the company will pay KL2 $7 million annually." An Aspiration financial executive said in an interview that he did not understand why he wanted to sign such a contract at the time, but the reply was: "Don't ask if you have any questions, this is to evade the salary cap."

The reporter showed screenshots of multiple documents in a podcast show to prove that Leonard signed an endorsement contract with the company, with an annual salary of $7 million and a total value of $28 million, but Leonard never mentioned any information about the company on any occasion.

At present, many US media and famous reporters have reposted this report and expressed their concern about the matter. The Clippers issued a statement on behalf of the team and Ballmer: "Mr. Ballmer and the Clippers have never evaded the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct through Aspiration, and any objection can be proven to be false."