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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard
The Los Angeles Clippers’ 2025-26 season came to a painful end with a 126-121 Play-In Tournament loss to the Golden State Warriors. But when reporters surrounded Kawhi Leonard, the conversation quickly shifted beyond the box score.
The NBA’s ongoing $28 million Aspiration investigation came up, and Leonard’s answer was as cold and composed as his game has always been.
GettyLos Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard on NBA $28M Aspiration Probe
When pressed by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on when he last thought about the NBA’s investigation into his involvement with Aspiration and whether he wanted a resolution, Leonard kept it short and completely unbothered:
“I never thought about it too much other than questions asked. You’ll have to ask the NBA, not me. I’m not the one doing the investigation. … I think we’re gonna be in the clear. I’m not stressing it.”
Asked Kawhi Leonard when the last time he’s thought about the NBA investigation into his involvement with Aspiration and how important it was to him to have some kind of resolution to it. He said: “I never thought about it too much other than questions asked. You’ll have to ask
GettyLos Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard
The NBA has been looking into whether the Clippers, with owner Steve Ballmer, used the $28 million, four-year endorsement contract with Aspiration – a now-bankrupt California-based environmental company – to remunerate Leonard beyond the league’s salary cap limits.
A 2023 SEC whistleblower document alleges that Aspiration assisted the Clippers in giving Leonard an “incentivized bonus,” thereby directly avoiding the salary cap regulations.
Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg also reportedly awarded Leonard $20 million in company equity, despite Leonard never appearing in a single promotional campaign for the brand. The NBA hired outside law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to lead the investigation.
Kawhi Leonard put up a solid 21 points (8-of-17 FG), 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. But clearly, it wasn’t enough as the Clippers threw away a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
Stephen Curry was the game-changer with his 35 points, 27 of which came in the second half, leading Golden State’s amazing rally.
Al Horford’s energy and scoring off the bench were just as important; he nailed four threes during a vital 16-6 Warriors run that totally erased the Clippers’ lead.
Not only that, Golden State managed to keep Leonard without a field goal in the fourth quarter until the last 16 seconds, when, by then, it was too late. The Warriors’ 126-121 win formally closed the door on the Clippers’ playoff hopes and in turn.
The loss also prompts a bigger question: Will Kawhi Leonard even stay with the Clippers next season? After the loss, Leonard was asked about his future, and he gave a typical Leonard response: “Let me cry about this loss a little bit more. We’ll have our discussions when that time comes.”
Leonard will be in the last year of his three-year, $149.5 million contract extension, earning $50.3 million in 2026-27 and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2027. He is also extension-eligible this offseason, which puts the Clippers in a difficult position: whether to make a long-term commitment to a 35-year-old superstar on a rebuilding team or to trade him now for a very high return.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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