"Focused on sustainability" - LA Clippers release fresh statement refuting report of financial misappropriation by Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers have been making headlines for the past few weeks. The franchise is under investigation for allegedly circumventing the salary cap and paying their star, Kawhi Leonard, more money through different means.

Journalist Pablo Torre shed light on the latest installment in the Clippers cap circumvention scandal on Thursday. He highlighted that the organization bought prepaid carbon credits. It's a commodity purchased by a company as a way to offset carbon dioxide emissions, worth $56 million in 2022.

The payments were made between April 1, 2022, to Jun. 17, 2022, and it closely aligned with Leonard signing his endorsement deal with Aspiration. Torre's revelations came after Dallas Mavericks minority ower Mark Cuban stepped in. He said that if Ballmer wanted to circumvent the salary cap, he would have invested in buying carbon credits.

The Clippers issued a statement to clear the air on their owner's purchase of carbon credits.

"Steve and his family are focused on sustainability, which is why Intuit Dome was designed to be a carbon neutral building from its inception and to achieve LEED Zero status over time," the Clippers said on Thursday.

"Our development agreements for the arena included mandates to buy carbon credits, but after studying the issue of neutrality, we went far beyond those requirements, exploring ways to address emissions from our fans and contracting with Aspiration to directly purchase carbon offsets, as well as broker the acquisition of additional offsets."

The franchise added that Ballmer was deceived in some parts of the agreement.

"Some of those commitments were built into the sponsorship deal with Aspiration, totally separate of the investment in the company, and we made payments to Aspiration until the company was unable to fulfill their responsibilities," the Clippers said.

"The effort reflects Steve wanting to set a positive example and raise awareness of the growing and important role of voluntary carbon markets. Unfortunately he was duped on the investment and some parts of this agreement, as were many other investors and employees."

Grant Afseth

@GrantAfseth

The LA Clippers have released a new statement.

These accusations came to light on Sept. 3, when Torre released bankruptcy documents from Aspiration, a tree planting service, on "Pablo Torre Finds Out." The documents showed that Ballmer was a big investor in the company, and it owed $28 million to Leonard's company, KL2 Aspire LLC.

Questions piled up when it was discovered that Leonard did not do anything for the company in exchange for the money.

Pablo Torre reveals that Steve Ballmer's priority was to get Kawhi Leonard paid amid Aspiration's looming bankruptcy

Pablo Torre revealed on Thursday that Steve Ballmer's priority was to get Kawhi Leonard paid despite Aspiration's depreciating financial conditions. It was a priority for the tree planting service to get the Clippers star paid to maintain a good relationship with its main investor.

"According to my sources, what happens here, is that it is paramount, it is so important to Aspiration's relationship with Steve Ballmer, that Kawhi Leonard gets paid," Torre said (35:06), via "Pablo Torre Finds Out."

The NBA is still investigating Ballmer and the Clippers. If the accusations turn out to be true, the franchise could face some hefty penalties that could ruin its championship hopes next five to 10 years.