The bombshell messages that doomed Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in Kawhi Leonard scandal
Documents have been released and bombshell text messages have been revealed in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention scandal involving billionaire Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.The Clippers were fined $30 million, Ballmer was suspended for one year and the team was docked five first-round draft picks in a poison-pill punishment for what the league believes proves the team’s guilt.According to documents released by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, notes from Clippers president Lawrence Frank dated April 2020 reveal that Leonard’s then-manager, the infamous “Uncle Dennis” Robertson, expressed frustration with the team for what he perceived as a lack of effort by the Clippers to make good on promised off-court business opportunities.Robertson reportedly complained to Ballmer about president of business operations Gillian Zucker making “introductions” for “bulls-t deals.”“I can’t wait on [Ms.Zucker],” Robertson said, according to notes from Frank included in the documents published by the law firm.
“I have to get paid.” Balmer allegedly responded by telling Robertson that Clippers personnel were all “collective workers to try to help Leonard achieve his financial goals.”Leonard entered free agency nine months before those conversations, so Robertson was presumably getting frustrated by the lack of movement after he signed.Leonard inked a three-year deal with a player option for the third year in 2021.The documents also reveal that Aspiration, the sustainability tree-planting company indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges in October 2025, agreed to pay Leonard $48 million in cash and stock ($12 million per year for four years) as part of his Clippers contract.In return, Aspiration allegedly dangled business contract opportunities with the Clippers’ arena, The Forum. Ballmer bought the Forum in 2020, and Aspiration was expecting a deal with the Arena. Aspiration founder Joe Sanberg sent an ultimatum to an unnamed ...