Steve Ballmer

Clippers Owner Denies Any Wrongdoing In Kawhi Leonard’s Deal With Aspiration

September 5th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer explained the origins of Kawhi Leonard‘s endorsement deal with Aspiration during an interview with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Thursday night on SportsCenter, but he denied that the team did anything inappropriate to circumvent the salary cap.

During the 16-minute interview, Ballmer said the company asked him to provide an introduction to Leonard, which he did in November 2021, shortly after Leonard agreed to a four-year, $176MM contract with the team. Ballmer added that he didn’t have any knowledge of the terms of the endorsement contract that Leonard eventually signed and stated that he had no further role in that process.

Two months before that introduction, Aspiration reached a $300MM deal with the Clippers that included sponsorship in their new arena and a jersey patch. Ballmer told Shelburne that Aspiration was hoping to acquire naming rights for the arena and offered more money than Intuit, which was ultimately chosen.

“We were done. We were done with Kawhi, we were done with Aspiration. The deals were all locked and loaded,” Ballmer said. “Then, they did request to be introduced to Kawhi, and under the rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved.”

Ballmer also detailed his involvement in a Department of Justice investigation into Aspiration, which filed for bankruptcy in March. Its list of creditors includes KL2 Aspire LLC, with Leonard named as the manager or member. The company owed $7MM to KL2 Aspire LLC.

Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg pleaded guilty in August to two counts of wire fraud for defrauding investors and lenders of more than $248 million.

“We even found the email that makes the first introduction. It was early November,” Ballmer said. “The introduction got made and then they were off to the races on, on their own. We weren’t involved. I eventually learned that they had reached a deal. I have no idea what the deal was.”

Ballmer added that he has no further knowledge of the arrangement between Leonard and Aspiration, which was brought to light in a report by Pablo Torre earlier this week claiming that it was a “no-show” deal and Leonard didn’t actually perform any services for the company.

“These were guys who committed fraud. Look, they conned me. They conned me,” Ballmer said. “I made an investment in these guys thinking it was on the up-and-up, and they conned me at this stage. I have no ability to predict why they might have done anything they did, let alone the specific contract with Kawhi.”

Shelburne points out that there have been numerous allegations about Leonard’s dealings with the Clippers since he joined the team as a free agent in 2019. The NBA conducted an investigation into charges that he and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, made improper requests while negotiating with teams that summer. Those requests reportedly included part ownership of the team, use of a private plane, a house and guaranteed endorsement deals.

Shelburne adds that the Clippers were cleared of any wrongdoing, but the league indicated that it was willing to reopen the investigation if any new information came to light.

“They know the rules,” Ballmer said. “They meaning Kawhi and his representatives, including his uncle. We know the rules. And if anything’s not clear, we remind ourselves what the rules are and we make absolutely clear we’re going to abide by those rules and they understand them as well. And it’s important for them to abide by them, which they have.”

Ballmer also stated that he hasn’t talked to Leonard about Torre’s accusations and he doesn’t plan to, per Law Murray of The Athletic.

“It’s really his business with Aspiration,” Ballmer said. “So I wouldn’t ask about it, no.”

The NBA has opened an investigation into the Clippers’ and Leonard’s dealings with Aspiration, and Ballmer suggested that he welcomes the probe, telling Shelburne that if a similar story had surfaced about another team and its star player, he’d want the league to “investigate (and) take it seriously.”

Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

September 4th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on Pablo Torre’s report on the possibility of salary cap circumvention involving the Clippers and star forward Kawhi Leonard, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal provides some fascinating additional details, citing a “high-level” source who says Leonard made a side deal with the company Aspiration to receive an additional $20MM in company stock on top of the $28MM from his original endorsement agreement.

Co-founder Andrei Cherny didn’t run the $28MM endorsement deal Leonard signed by the company’s board of directors, according to Karalis, who says the agreement was presented to Aspiration’s executive team “as is,” without consulting them or giving them an opportunity to be involved in negotiations. If the executive team had been privy to the talks, it would have advised against the deal, Karalis explains, since management viewed it as a “poor use of cash resources.”

While Cherney signed the deal against the wishes of management, Aspiration’s marketing and management teams saw “no brand synergy” with Leonard and and opted against using his services, preferring to work with climate-focused influences, Karalis continues.

Regarding the $50MM that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested in Aspiration, Karalis says that investment was described as having been made with “light-to-no diligence” and came at a rate higher than the one Oak Tree Capital Management had paid during the company’s rounds of fundraising. As Karalis observes, it wouldn’t have been unusual for a well-known investor like Ballmer to be offered a discounted share price, since his involvement would create positive buzz for the company. Instead, the $11 he paid per share was a dollar higher than what Oak Tree paid.

Here’s more on the Leonard situation:

Although the Clippers asserted in a statement on Wednesday night that there’s “nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players at the same time,” rival executives who spoke to Sam Amick of The Athletic pointed out that Ballmer’s investment in Aspiration and the size of Leonard’s endorsement deal are red flags on their own, even before taking into account the fact that the star forward did no promotional work for the company. “This (sort of endorsement deal) does not happen,” one general manager told Amick.
Executives who discussed the issue with Chris Mannix of SI.com conveyed a similar sentiment. “If this is what it looks like, I think (commissioner) Adam (Silver) has to make an example of them,” one team executive said.
It’s worth noting that the Clippers were previously investigated in 2019 due to rumors that Leonard’s uncle Dennis Robertson was asking teams for improper benefits during Kawhi’s free agency negotiations that summer. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears that Leonard was seeking an extra $15MM in endorsement money from the Raptors that offseason, while Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star cites sources who say “Uncle Dennis” was asking for an ownership stake in the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs during talks with the Raptors.
Nate Jones, who works as an agent and marketer at Goodwin Sports, shared some insights into the situation in a Twitter thread, explaining why the Clippers, Ballmer, and Leonard may all have plausible deniability if there’s no smoking gun laying out a quid pro quo arrangement. Still, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays, citing Zach Lowe’s podcast, the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows for cap circumvention to be proven by circumstantial evidence if the terms of a deal “cannot rationally be explained in” another way.

Clippers Deny Circumventing Cap For Kawhi Leonard

September 4th, 2025 at 12:39am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers wing Kawhi Leonard found himself the subject of unwanted scrutiny Wednesday, when it was reported by Pablo Torre on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that the six-time All-Star had inked a $28MM endorsement deal for “tree brokerage” Aspiration, a former team sponsor that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. L.A. owner Steve Ballmer invested $50MM into the company.

The 6’7″ swingman reportedly didn’t do any work for the allegedly phony tree-planting company, leading to speculation that the endorsement agreement was a route for Leonard to earn additional money on top of his NBA salary in a manner that would have helped L.A. circumvent the salary cap. Other involved celebrities, including movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr., apparently did perform actual work for Aspiration.

The NBA is now investigating the situation to determine if there was indeed any impropriety.

The Clippers initially released statements to Torre and then to The Los Angeles Times denying any wrongdoing. Now, the team has issued an extended denial, as Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) relays.

“Neither the Clippers nor Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap,” the Clippers’ statement reads. “The notion that Steve invested in Aspiration in order to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard is absurd. Steve invested because Aspiration’s co-founders presented themselves as committed to doing right by their customers while protecting the environment.

“After a long campaign of market manipulation, which defrauded not only Steve but numerous other investors and sports teams, Aspiration filed for bankruptcy. Its co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, recently pleaded guilty to a $243 million fraud. Neither Steve nor the Clippers had knowledge of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government initiated its investigation. Aspiration was a team sponsor for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons before defaulting on its contract.

“There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same time. Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi’s independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong.”

“The Clippers take NBA compliance extremely seriously, fully respect the league’s rules, and welcome its investigation related to Aspiration. The Clippers will also continue to cooperate with law enforcement in its investigation into Aspiration’s blatantly fraudulent activity.”

Torre responded to the Clippers’ claims (via Twitter), standing by his reporting and challenging some of the language in the Clippers’ statement.

Kawhi Leonard ‘No-Show’ Endorsement Deal May Have Violated Salary Cap Rules

September 3rd, 2025 at 2:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:54 pm: “We are aware of this morning’s media report regarding the L.A. Clippers and are commencing an investigation,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Clippers, meanwhile, issued a longer statement to Steve Henson of The Los Angeles Times strongly denying that they engaged in any sort of cap circumvention.

“Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration,” the statement reads. “Any contrary assertion is provably false: The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations.

“Neither the Clippers nor Mr. Ballmer was aware of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government instituted its investigation. The team and Mr. Ballmer stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way they can.”

Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg pled guilty last month to two counts of wire fraud for a $248MM scheme to defraud lenders and investors.

8:01 am: A $28MM endorsement deal signed by Kawhi Leonard could land the Clippers in hot water with the league.

According to an investigation by Pablo Torre on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, Leonard performed no work for an allegedly fraudulent tree-planting company funded by $50MM from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

The endorsement deal could be construed as a means to circumvent the salary cap, which would carry heavy penalties from the league.

After leading the Raptors to the 2019 championship, Leonard declined his player option and became an unrestricted free agent. Leonard chose to sign with the Clippers on a three-year, $103.1MM deal in July of that year. He has subsequently signed a pair of extensions with the franchise.

The “tree brokerage” company named Aspiration filed for bankruptcy in March 2025. Among the list of creditors is KL2 Aspire LLC with Leonard named as the manager or member. The company owed KL2 Aspire LLC $7MM.

Torre couldn’t find any evidence that Leonard actually performed any work for the company, unlike other celebrity endorsers. Torre interviewed seven former employees of the company, one of whom provided a document showing Leonard was to receive $7MM over four years in the marketing agreement, which began in 2022. According to a former Aspiration employee who worked in the finance department, Leonard “didn’t have to do anything.”

The Clippers denied any wrongdoing. The organization provided Torre with a statement that read, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”

Back in 2000, the league and then-commissioner David Stern issued harsh penalties against the Timberwolves due to salary cap violations. Minnesota signed former No. 1 overall pick Joe Smith to a series of one-year contracts below market value with the promise of giving him a long-term deal that would pay him up to $86MM over seven seasons.

As Spotrac contributor Keith Smith notes (Twitter link), Smith’s contract was voided and the Timberwolves were fined $3.5MM and had five first-round picks forfeited (the team later recouped two of those picks). Owner Glen Taylor was suspended and general manager Kevin McHale was forced to take a leave of absence.

For what it’s worth, Stern had a reputation for handing out harsher discipline than current commissioner Adam Silver. In recent years, teams found to have engaged in free agent gun-jumping or tampering violations have typically been docked a single second-round pick. However, if an NBA investigation determines the Clippers were circumventing the cap via this agreement with Leonard, it seems safe to assume the penalty would be more significant than that.

Latest On Bradley Beal

July 17th, 2025 at 11:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After he was hired as the Suns‘ head coach in June, Jordan Ott met with Bradley Beal and shared his plan for how the team could use the veteran shooting guard next season, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. However, according to Windhorst, Beal had already decided after meeting with agent Mark Bartelstein that he wanted to move on from Phoenix.

“We couldn’t take the chance [of another lost year],” Bartelstein told Windhorst. “This decision was about basketball. Bradley wants to play in big games and in big moments.”

When Phoenix traded Kevin Durant to Houston for a package headlined by another shooting guard – Jalen Green – it cemented Beal’s decision.

According to Windhorst, the Suns and Timberwolves had discussed the possibility of a Durant package that would’ve included Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, Terrence Shannon Jr., and the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft, which could’ve left an opening for Beal in the Suns’ lineup. But with Durant uninterested in playing in Minnesota, the Wolves were unwilling to move forward on those talks and Phoenix pivoted to the Rockets’ offer.

After the Durant trade was completed, the Suns gave Beal and Bartelstein permission to speak to other teams, and more than 20 showed interest, sources tell ESPN. Beal ultimately met via Zoom with about a half-dozen of them, and after trading Norman Powell to Miami earlier this month, the Clippers emerged as the clear frontrunner.

According to Windhorst, while Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and head coach Tyronn Lue spoke to Beal about what the club could offer him, the most noteworthy pitch came from star guard James Harden, who lobbied the front office to pursue Beal and then reached out directly to the guard (and to Bartelstein) to recruit him.

In addition to selling Beal on the Clippers’ depth and how he would fit in with the current group, Harden pointed out that his own career has been rejuvenated in Los Angeles after disappointing stints in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, Windhorst notes. After a couple discouraging years in Phoenix, Beal is in a similar spot — he’ll be looking to bounce back next season and views L.A. as a good spot to do it.

“No one wants to be released. There’s heartache with that,” Bartelstein said. “But Bradley wants to be in a position where no one remembers he got released, that they’ll remember how he plays next season.”

Here’s more on Beal:

The Suns needed Beal to give up at least $13.9MM of the $110.8MM still owed to him in order to legally waive-and-stretch his contract. Phoenix’s front office actually pushed for the 32-year-old to give up more than that, resulting in buyout talks getting “heated,” per Windhorst, who says Beal ultimately forfeited not a penny more than he needed to for the Suns to use the stretch provision. “There were some intense conversations,” Bartelstein said.
Bartelstein also spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda about why things didn’t work out for Beal in Phoenix and why he chose the Clippers over other suitors. Citing Beal’s existing relationship with Lue, along with the Clippers’ vision for his client, Bartelstein explained that L.A. checked all their boxes. “He was heavily pursued by pretty much everybody in the NBA and certainly almost every top-tier team,” Bartelstein said. “I had made it known in conversations around the league that we were looking to go somewhere where he could play in really big games and big moments. We knew there were places he can go to and score 30 points a game again. But he really wanted to go to a place where he can compete for a championship. With that in mind, we quickly narrowed down to six or seven teams that we thought were in that world and with the roster shaped up, it would be a great fit for Brad. … It was a really tough choice. … We felt at the end of the day that the Clippers was the very best fit.”
The Suns’ trade for Beal will go down as one of the biggest missteps in franchise history, contends Doug Haller of The Athletic. Haller doesn’t blame Beal, noting that he was willing to change his game and continued to score efficiently. However, his production didn’t match his salary, Haller writes, which was a microcosm of the Suns as a whole — the league’s most expensive roster failed to win a playoff game during the two years after acquiring Beal.

Pacific Notes: Richards, Russell, Christie, Ballmer

January 18th, 2025 at 10:12am CST by Earnest Marshall

The Suns addressed a position of need by trading for Nick Richards on Wednesday, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes. According to Bourguet, the Suns value the Kentucky product for his athleticism, defense, rebounding and size, along with the fact that he’s under contract for next season at a team-friendly price (a non-guaranteed $5MM).

In recent games, Phoenix has been at a disadvantage on the offensive glass, which Richards will help address. The former Hornet is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 56.1% from the field in 21 games (nine starts) this season.

Suns players and coaches expressed excitement about being able to add Richards into their organization, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Head coach Mike Budenholzer said Richards was expected to meet the team Friday in Detroit and that he foresees the center making his Suns debut Saturday against the Pistons.

“We’re excited about adding Nick and what he can bring to our team and how he can impact the game defensively around the rim,” Budenholzer said. “On the boards on both ends of the court. Screen setter. Just that kind of seven-foot size, athleticism can always be impactful.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

On Friday, ahead of his first matchup with the Lakers after being traded back to Brooklyn, D’Angelo Russell expressed that he was appreciative of his time with Los Angeles, but that he was ready to move on, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). He called his second stint with the Lakers a “blur.” Russell scored 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists in the matchup on Friday night but missed a potential game winner.
Kings head coach Doug Christie is a massive part of the franchise’s history, having been a key starter and contributor for the 2001/02 Sacramento team that fell in the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers. Now, under the interim Christie, the Kings have climbed from 13-19 to 21-20 and are firmly back in the postseason picture following the departure of coach Mike Brown. The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson explores Christie’s journey from his tenure as a player to his time as an assistant for the team beginning in 2021.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie Ballmer, co-founders of the Ballmer Group, pledged an initial $15MM to help combat the Los Angeles wildfires, they announced on their website. “We love L.A. and are committed to supporting the communities affected by the devastating wildfires,” the statement reads. “In coordination with our local partners, Ballmer Group will contribute to addressing immediate food and shelter needs in the community and supporting our first responders.  … We’ve dedicated an initial $15 million in emergency funding for the many people impacted by these fires, particularly in the historic, racially diverse community of Altadena.” The full list of organizations and efforts they’re providing support for can be found on their site.

Clippers Notes: George, Offseason, Kuminga, Bamba

November 7th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

According to team owner Steve Ballmer, the Clippers wanted to retain Paul George over the summer and “made him a big offer,” writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. But with the Clippers unwilling to add a no-trade clause or a fourth year to the three-year offer they put on the table for George, the star forward considered other options and L.A. began envisioning life without him.

“I don’t know when the blueprint changed,” Ballmer told Youngmisuk. “The truth of the matter is our situation was changing just because the guys are getting older anyway. So the way to think about it with Paul or without Paul, it started to morph on us.”

As Youngmisuk writes, the Clippers showed with the three-year, $150MM deal they offered George that they were willing to continue operating above the second tax apron. But the front office certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea of reducing its payroll, with more punitive roster-building restrictions – including a frozen draft pick seven years out – being implemented for teams in second-apron territory.

“Once your pick becomes frozen, (and) if you’re in the second apron for multiple years, you’re really f—ed,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said. “You’re in a situation where you never have cap space and you never have your mid-level exception and you’re just strictly dealing with minimums and trades. Our goal is we want to be a sustainable contender.”

As Ballmer points out, avoiding a $50MM-per-year commitment to George allowed the Clippers to add a handful of defense-first role players who will fit the team’s new identity and should be very movable on the trade market, if necessary.

“The truth is, with Paul not coming back, we were able to upgrade our team,” Ballmer said. “We don’t (sign) Derrick Jones Jr. if Paul comes back. We don’t (sign) Kris Dunn, (or have) our new defensive identity. Might not have (signed) Kevin Porter Jr., Nico (Batum). … You could say, well, they’re not Paul George. No, they’re not Paul George. … (But) we were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys. And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So it was the right choice for us.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

The Clippers were open to making an opt-in-and-trade George deal with the Warriors before he became a free agent and would likely have pulled the trigger if Golden State had been willing to part with Jonathan Kuminga and a first-round pick, says Sam Amick of The Athletic. The two teams briefly discussed Kuminga, but Golden State pulled him off the table, and since he was the only young Warriors the Clippers viewed as a potential star, talks fizzled after that, Amick explains.
Youngmisuk also addressed the George talks between L.A. and Golden State in his ESPN feature, reiterating that the Clippers ultimately decided the assets available to them in that deal wouldn’t have been worth the cost (in tax penalties and roster flexibility) of taking on matching salaries. “Nothing is better than something,” one league source told ESPN in explaining the team’s decision to let George walk.
Ahead of his return to L.A. on Wednesday as a member of the Sixers, George made it clear he has no hard feelings toward Clippers management and that he had a great relationship with Ballmer and Frank. “They were awesome the whole time I was here,” George said, per Youngmisuk. “Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end. But they were awesome.”
George, who heard plenty of boos during Wednesday’s game from the Clippers faithful, told reporters after the Sixers loss that he thought that reaction was “stupid,” according to Youngmisuk. “It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent,” George said. “The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation. So there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos, I didn’t get it.”
Clippers center Mohamed Bamba may be nearing his debut after missing the start of the season due to left knee injury management. A source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Bamba has been cleared for contact and has been involved in recent team shootarounds.

Clippers’ Steve Ballmer Talks Losing Paul George, New-Look Roster

July 20th, 2024 at 9:49am CST by Earnest Marshall

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer wasn’t thrilled to lose Paul George to the Sixers this offseason, but he was emphatic in his belief in the retooled roster when speaking to reporters on Friday, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.

“I love Paul,” Ballmer said. “Let’s start with Paul as a human being. Paul is a great human being, and I’ve really enjoyed my opportunity to get to know Paul’s family. So on a personal level, I hated it. I hated it.

“From a basketball perspective, Paul is a fantastic player, future Hall of Famer. But we knew we needed to continue to get better. And with the new CBA, what tools, what flexibility [can be restricted], we made Paul what I consider a great offer. But it was a great offer in terms of us thinking about how to win championships. It wasn’t what Paul wanted.”

George’s interest in a deal that matched or exceeded the three-year, $150MM deal Kawhi Leonard received has been well-covered. The Clippers declined to include a fourth year in any contract offer for George and opted not to give him the no-trade clause he sought on a three-year deal. George wound up accepting a four-year maximum-salary contract with Philadelphia.

After losing George, the Clippers turned their attention to replenishing their depth. The team re-signed James Harden before adding role players like Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kris Dunn, among others.

“I think we’re going to be a very, very good team,” Ballmer said. “We’re going to contend. We’ll see how far it takes us. There’s a lot of good teams in the West, let alone you’ve got the Celtics, etc. in the East. But there’s a lot of good teams. I think we are one of them, and if we stay healthy, if we play well, I think every team’s got to get a little bit of luck.

“Our two guys at the top are pretty good, and I’ll take our guys that we flank around them. Just take a look at Dallas. They rode the backs of two great players and a bunch of other very, very good players, and we certainly have that.”

Ballmer believes that sooner or later every team will be faced with a decision like the one the Clippers had to make in their negotiations with George.

“Guys like me who’ve been very willing to pay the luxury tax — it’s not about the luxury tax anymore,” Ballmer said. “It’s about the penalties in terms of how you get better. I’m not willing to sacrifice getting better. Still willing to pay the money. But it’s more than money now.“

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Irving, O’Neale, Ballmer

June 5th, 2024 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

Discussing his former teammate Kyrie Irving on his Mind The Game podcast (YouTube clip), Lakers star LeBron James said he has gotten satisfaction out of watching Irving’s success in Dallas, but admitted that he’s disappointed to no longer be playing with the star guard.

“I’m so f—ing happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth,” James said. “I’m so f—ing mad at the same time that I’m not his running mate anymore.”

As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, Irving requested a trade out of Cleveland in 2017, in large part due to his desire to get out from under James’ shadow and to have his own team, but the mutual appreciation between the two stars seems to have grown since their days together as Cavaliers.

LeBron was known to be pushing for the Lakers to acquire Irving during multiple transaction cycles before the guard was ultimately sent to Dallas at the 2023 trade deadline. However, with Irving thriving in Dallas and under contract for up to two more seasons, it seems unlikely at this point that he and James will reunite prior to LeBron’s retirement.

James added that he doesn’t view the Mavericks as a significant underdog vs. Boston in the NBA Finals because he views Irving as a potential difference-maker.

“To have a guy like Kyrie Irving as the ultimate wild card,” James said. “It’s like having a Draw 4 in your hand every time someone deals you cards in Uno.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Responding to an ESPN report that said the Suns are expected to retain free agent forward Royce O’Neale, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 confirmed on The Burns & Gambo show (podcast link) that a new deal between the two sides is likely, but suggested that Phoenix will probably have to offer a longer-term contract to make sure it gets done. “What they’re going to have to three or four years to keep him. Other teams will probably offer him more money on a shorter-term deal,” Gambadoro said. “… What I’m expecting and what I’ve heard is that the Suns will likely go three to four years on an offer to keep Royce O’Neale.”
With the TV series ‘Clipped’ debuting this week, Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look back at how Steve Ballmer reset the Clippers‘ culture after buying the team in 2014 following the Donald Sterling scandal. “It was positive in a way,” former Clippers center DeAndre Jordan said of the Sterling situation. “Because we did end up getting one of the greatest sports owners, in my opinion, in Steve. The things that he’s done have been amazing, and I can’t wait to see what he continues to do, especially starting next year (when the Clippers move into their new arena).”
In case you missed it, the Lakers are said to be “zeroing in” on J.J. Redick as their next head coach. Get the full story here.

L.A. Notes: Ham, LeBron, Pelinka, Harden, Ballmer, George

May 4th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

There were signs throughout the season that head coach Darvin Ham was going to take the fall if the Lakers couldn’t make another long playoff run, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Ham was officially fired on Friday after L.A. was dispatched by Denver in five games, but it had been clear that move was coming for a long time, Shelburne adds.

Sources tell Shelburne that LeBron James was resistant to Ham’s idea to limit his minutes early in the season. James’ wishes prevailed and that plan was discarded after a few games. Players also openly questioned Ham’s strategies throughout the season, culminating with Anthony Davis saying after the Game 2 loss to Denver, “We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor.”

Shelburne notes that the Lakers have cycled through head coaches ever since Phil Jackson‘s retirement in 2011, with none lasting more than three seasons. That list includes Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, who both went on to win Coach of the Year honors with other teams after leaving L.A. To avoid another short-term hire, Shelburne advises Lakers management to approach this coaching search with a clear idea of its vision for the team.

There’s more from Los Angeles:

Ham was undermined internally, which made it impossible for him to succeed, contends Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register. Alexander speculates that anonymous complaints were leaked by general manager Rob Pelinka to deflect blame from his questionable personnel moves, along with James and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. The danger, according to Alexander, is that the front office may have fired Ham without having an obvious candidate in mind to replace him.
James Harden declined to speculate on his future after the Clippers were eliminated Friday night in Dallas, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Harden demanded a trade out of Philadelphia after president of basketball operations Daryl Morey refused to give him the long-term contract he was expecting, but it’s uncertain if the Clippers will be willing to meet his demands this summer. “I don’t even know,” Harden responded when reporters asked about his upcoming free agency. “You’re asking me a question that I don’t have the answer to. I haven’t even thought about it.”
Coach Tyronn Lue is working out his own future with the Clippers, but he was gratified that owner Steve Ballmer addressed the team after Friday’s loss, Turner adds. “You have the seventh-, eighth-richest man in the world and he’s a real fan. Like, he’s a real fan. Like, he treats us like family,” Lue said. “He actually genuinely cares about each individual and we’ve seen that time and time again. So, when you have an owner that really respects who you are, not as a basketball player, but a person and who you are, that means a lot. Not just putting you on a basketball court and saying, ‘OK, you work for me.’ Like, he really genuinely cares about each individual. He cares about the wins. He’s fired up. He’s passionate about it. And, so, that’s what I love the most about Mr. Ballmer. He treats everyone as equals.”
The Clippers‘ reluctance to guarantee a fourth year has held up extension talks with Paul George, sources tell Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. George is eligible for up to $221MM over four seasons, but Azarly’s sources say the team’s latest offer falls short of that figure.

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