https://t.co/iKssT8bDP6 作者:Mike Vorkunov In March 2023, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested almost $10 million into financial technology and sustainability services company Aspiration, according to legal filings reviewed by The Athletic and corroborated by a former Aspiration executive. 在2023年3月，洛杉磯快艇擁有者Steve Ballmer又投資給Aspiration這家金融科技與永續 服務公司額外接近10M的金額。這項投資得到了Athletic蒐集的法律文件以及Aspiration合 作高層的證實。 The previously unreported investment came 18 months after Ballmer’s $50 million investment in the firm now at the heart of an NBA investigation into whether Clippers star Kawhi Leonard made a side deal to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap, allegations first reported by the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast last week. 這項先前並未被報導的投資是在Ballmer的50M投資的18個月後。而這家公司如今正成為NBA 調查的核心，調查重點是快艇球星Kawhi Leonard是否曾透過與該公司達成"場外協議"以規 避NBA的薪資上限--這些指控最早是在上週由Pablo Torre Finds Out Podcast爆出。 Ballmer’s $10 million infusion into Aspiration came as the Los Angeles-based company was hemorrhaging cash, laying off employees and struggling to raise funds — and it came just three months after a $1.99 million investment by Dennis Wong, Ballmer’s college roommate and Clippers vice chairman, which was first reported by “Pablo Torre Finds Out” this week. Ballmer對Aspiration 10M的融資發生在這家洛杉磯公司資金流失、裁員並且募資困難的時 期--且這發生在Ballmer的大學室友及快艇的副主席Dennis Wong投資1.99M之後。 According to the podcast’s report, Wong’s investment was soon followed by a $1.75 million payment by Aspiration to Leonard, who signed a $28 million contract with the company in April 2022. 根據該Podcast的報導，Wong投資後不久，Aspiration隨即向Kawhi Leonard支付了1.75M。 Leonard在2022年4月與Aspiration簽下了一份價值28M的合約。 Ballmer’s 2023 investment was part of a fundraising round made up almost entirely of previous Aspiration investors, with Wong being the lone exception. The company hoped to raise $75 million in fresh money but came up nearly $9 million short. A vast majority of the shares were bought up by Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg and Ibrahim AlHusseini, another Aspiration board member. Sanberg later agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges brought by the Justice Department. Ballmer 2023年的投資屬於Aspiration當時一輪幾乎完全由舊有投資人組成的募資，其中 唯一的新面孔就是Dennis Wong。該公司希望可以湊足75M的資金但最終差了9M。絕大多數 股份由Aspiration共同創辦人Joe Sanberg以及董事會成員Ibrahim AlHusseini吞下。其後 ，Sanberg同意承認司法部對其提出的詐欺指控。 Ballmer’s first investment into Aspiration — a $50 million infusion alongside $265 million from OakTree Capital, a prominent financial firm — came in December 2021, three months after Aspiration signed a deal with the Clippers worth more than $300 million to be a founding sponsor of the team’s new arena and its jersey patch partner. The Clippers also signed an agreement to pay Aspiration more than $50 million for carbon offsetting toward the goal of becoming carbon neutral, according to multiple sources briefed on the deal. 至於 Ballmer的首次投資，則是在2021年12月，與知名金融公司OakTree Capital一起注入 資金，Ballmer投了50M，OakTree則投資265M。這筆投資發生在Aspiration與快艇簽下一份 超過300M合約的三個月之後，該合約讓Aspiration成為快艇新球館的創始贊助商以及球衣 廣告合作夥伴。此外，多方消息指出，快艇還與Aspiration簽署協議，承諾支付超過50M， 用於碳抵換，以幫助球隊達成碳中和目標。 Seven months later, Aspiration inked Leonard to a four-year, $28 million endorsement contract. Almost immediately, Aspiration struggled to make its quarterly $1.75 million payments to Leonard, and when the company was late with a payment that fall, Leonard’s agent, Mitch Frankel, reached out to company executives. 7個月後，Aspiration與Leonard談了4年28M的贊助合約。而幾乎是同時，Aspiration無法 支付他每季該給Leonard的1.75M款項，而當公司無法支付時，Leonard的經紀人Mitch Frankel(所以這份代言合約並沒有繞過Kawhi的經紀人與舅舅直接簽約)聯絡了公司高管。 In December 2022, Wong invested almost $2 million in Aspiration through DEA 88 Investments LLP. Days later, according to reporting by “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” Aspiration paid Leonard $1.75 million. 在2022年12月，Wong透過DEA 88 Investment LLP投資了將近2M。數天後，便支付了 Leonard 1.75M。 Three months later, according to court documents in a civil suit, Ballmer invested $9,999,997.92 in the company. Aspiration had been struggling financially, with just $12.2 million in cash as of Feb. 17, 2023 and running through more than $2 million a week. The Clippers declined to comment on the March 2023 investment. 3個月後，根據法庭文件，Ballmer額外投資$9,999,997.92至該家公司。Aspiration當時資 金掙扎，2023年2月17日時在他們手上的現金僅剩下12.2M但他們每周要燒掉超過2M。快艇 對這項投資拒絕發表評論。 It’s unclear if Aspiration continued paying Leonard, who is listed as a creditor in Aspiration’s bankruptcy filings for $7 million, as are two companies representing the Clippers for a combined $50 million. Aspiration有沒有繼續支付Leonard這名列在Aspiration破產文件上的債權人之一，這件事 情並不清楚，然後在該文件上有2家公司代表快艇仍被積欠50M。 Long before the relationship between Leonard and Aspiration fell under public scrutiny, it caused confusion within the company itself, according to ex-employees who spoke with The Athletic. After Sanberg introduced the idea, members of Aspiration’s executive team believed Leonard’s deal, which was never announced publicly, held little value to the company. A former Aspiration C-Suite executive said that the deal “materialized essentially out of the ether.” 根據前員工給The Athletic的說法，早在Leonard與Aspiration的關係進入公眾檢視之前， 它就在公司內部引起了混亂。前員工回憶，這筆合作是由Sanberg提出來的，但Aspiration 的高層團隊對這筆交易的價值表示懷疑，因為這筆從未公開宣布的合約幾乎對公司沒有實 際幫助。一名前Aspiration的高層主管直言，這份協議"基本上就是憑空冒出來的"。 As part of the deal, Leonard also received $20 million in equity via Aspiration shares that came directly from Sanberg. “I am personally contributing stock to Kawhi to make this partnership possible,” Sanberg wrote members of his leadership team in a May 2022 email obtained by The Athletic. “Aspiration’s CEO judged the deal to be not worth doing. For avoidance of doubt, any and all benefit to Aspiration from the Kawhi deal is being subsidized by my contributing my equity to make this happen.” 作為協議的一部分，Leonard同時也自Sanberg那邊直接收取了價值20M的股票。 在2022年5月的一封電子郵件中，Sanberg對管理團隊寫道： "我正在個人出讓股票給Kawhi，以促成這項合作。Aspiration的CEO判斷這筆交易不值得去 做。為了避免誤解，Kawhi交易中Aspiration所得到的任何利益，都是由我拿出自己的股權 來補貼、實現的。" As part of the agreement, Sanberg also pressured the company to pay for fees incurred by Frankel, who did not respond to The Athletic‘s request for comment. 作為協議的一部分，Sanberg同時施壓公司支付定時的款項給Frankel(Kawhi的經紀人)，他 並未回應The Athletic的訪問要求。 While Aspiration executives initially traded ideas on how to incorporate Leonard in marketing campaigns — including in collaboration with Drake, a celebrity client and endorser — it never did so. One executive believed the famously laconic Leonard did not fit as a spokesperson. 根據The Athletic的前員工描述，雖然Aspiration高層起初討論過如何把Leonard納入行銷 企劃，甚至考慮與Drake(當時的名人客戶兼代言人)合作，但這些計畫最終都沒有落實。其 中一位高層認為，Leonard以他著名的沉默寡言形象，並不適合作為品牌的代言人。 The contract specified that Leonard would, among other asks, participate in one eight-hour day of production, one four-hour day of public relations, two one-hour community service events, one five-minute segment per week “in conversation with (Clippers) Coach Ty Lue” while he sat out the 2021-22 season recovering from an injury, “five organic comments/likes/RTs as requested by Aspiration” and three off-court projects. 這份合約要求Leonard將要參與一天8小時的製作日、一天4小時的公關活動、兩天1小時的 社區服務活動、每週一段五分鐘的對談"與快艇教練Ty Lue對話"因為他21-22年正在從傷勢 復健、"5次Aspiration要求的有機的評論/按讚/轉發"及三個場外專案。 But the deal, which allowed Aspiration to terminate it for cause or if Leonard was no longer playing for the Clippers, also gave Leonard sign-off on the requests and allowed him to refuse to do anything “not consistent with his beliefs.” 這份合約允許Aspiration在有正當理由的情況下，或是當Leonard不再效力於快艇時，終止 合約。同時，它也賦予Leonard對所有要求的最終簽核權，並允許他拒絕任何"不符合其信 念"的事項。 Emails between Aspiration executives obtained by The Athletic reflected confusion and frustration with the contract. One marketing executive emailed that the deal had “pretty big flags” while bemoaning that it only guaranteed Aspiration one eight-hour production day, adding that Leonard’s lack of social media presence would “significantly hamper” the company’s ability to extract value from the deal. The Athletic取得Apiration高層之間的Email展示出了他們對該合約的困惑及沮喪。一名 行銷高層在email中敘述這份合約"有很多不好的訊號"，並抱怨合約只保證Aspiration獲得 一天8小時的製作日;他還補充指出，Leonard缺乏社群媒體存在感，將"大幅削弱"公司從這 份合約中提取價值的能力。 When reached by The Athletic this week, Andrei Cherny, Aspiration’s co-founder and CEO until 2022, disputed that Leonard had a no-show contract. He said the beliefs clause is standard for celebrity endorsements and that the company could end the agreement if Leonard didn’t perform on his end. 本週The Athletic聯繫時，Aspiration共同創辦人兼前任CEO(至2022年)Andrei Cherny否 認Leonard簽署的是一份"掛名合約"。他表示，合約中的"信念條款"對名人代言來說屬於標 準條款，而如果Leonard沒有履行自己的一方義務，公司也有權終止協議。 “In the months of discussion among our executives before signing the sponsorship, I don’t remember conversations about the NBA salary cap,” Cherny said. “I signed the contract shortly before I submitted my resignation, but before I left there were numerous internal conversations about the various things Aspiration was planning to do with Leonard once the 2022-23 season began, including emails from the marketing team about their plans in just the week before my last day. I can’t speak to what was done or not done after I left — or why.” "在我們高層之間為了這份贊助合約討論的數個月裡，我不記得有任何關於NBA薪資上限的 對話。我在遞交辭呈前不久簽下了這份合約，但在我離開前，內部有過多次討論，內容涉 及Aspiration打算在2022-23賽季開始後與Leonard一起做的各種事情，其中包括行銷團隊 在我最後一週還寄來的計劃郵件。至於我離開之後有沒有執行、或為什麼沒有執行，那我 就無法評論了。" The contract was, however, much richer than Aspiration’s deals with other endorsers, according to the former executive who related that Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr. both received less than $2 million in equity, while Drake invested $4 million but also received carbon offsets. 根據前高層主管的說法，這份合約確實比 Aspiration 與其他代言人的合約更為豐厚。他 指出，Leonardo DiCaprio和Robert Downey Jr.各自獲得的股權都不到2M，而Drake雖然投 入了4M的投資，但同時獲得了碳排放額度補償。相比之下，Leonard的合約條件要優渥得多 。 Leonard never publicly promoted the company. 然而，值得注意的是，Leonard從未公開替Aspiration宣傳過。 In March 2025, Sanberg was arrested and Aspiration filed for bankruptcy. Sanberg has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of defrauding investors for $248 million. His next plea hearing is next week. An attorney for Sanberg declined to comment. 2025年3月，Sanberg被逮捕，Aspiration宣告破產。根據法院紀錄，Sanberg已同意對詐騙 投資人248M的聯邦指控認罪。他的下一場認罪聽證會將在下週舉行。至於案件細節， Sanberg的律師拒絕發表評論。 In August, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Sanberg inflated the company’s revenue and duped investors, using Aspiration shares to take out more than $100 million in personal loans. The SEC’s complaint pointed specifically to two investors, including one who bought $50 million in shares between September and December 2021. 2024年8月，美國證券交易委員會指控Sanberg誇大公司營收並欺騙投資人，利用 Aspiration的股票取得超過100M的個人貸款。在SEC的起訴書中，特別點名了兩位投資人， 其中一人於2021年9月至12月期間購買了價值50M的股票。(這50M很有可能指的就是Ballmer ) Aspiration employees said that Sanberg built and maintained a relationship with Ballmer to convince him to invest in the company. During a deposition last October, when the Aspiration co-founder was asked whether he was the one who landed Ballmer as an investor, Sanberg invoked his fifth amendment rights. Aspiration的員工表示，Sanberg與Ballmer建立並維持關係，目的是說服後者投資公司。 在去年10月的一次證詞記錄中，當Aspiration聯合創辦人被問到是否由他親自拉攏Ballmer 成為投資人時，Sanberg援引了美國憲法第五修正案的權利(沉默避免自證其罪）。 “They conned me,” Ballmer told ESPN last week. “I made an investment in these guys, thinking it was on the up and up, and they con 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.” Ballmer對ESPN說:"他們騙了我。我投資這些人，以為是一筆正當的生意，結果他們耍我。 到目前為止，我完全無法預測他們為什麼要做出這些事情，更不用說是跟Kawhi有關的那份 特定合約了。" Last week, the NBA announced it had hired law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has previously conducted league investigations into the Clippers and Phoenix Suns, to determine if Ballmer and the Clippers used Aspiration to circumvent salary cap restrictions. Ballmer has denied wrongdoing and said that aside from introducing Leonard to the company, he did not know anything about Leonard’s endorsement contract. NBA上週宣布已聘請Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz律師事務所來調查快艇是否透過 Aspiration規避薪資上限。這家律所過去也曾主導過快艇Donald Sterling案和太陽Robert Sarver案的聯盟調查。Ballmer否認不當行為並說他除了介紹Leonard至這家公司以外，他 並不知道關於Leonard贊助合約的任何事情。 If, after the investigation and a ruling by an independent arbitrator, NBA commissioner Adam Silver determines the Clippers broke league rules, he has the ability under the collective bargaining agreement to punish the team and Ballmer by docking draft picks, implementing fines and even voiding Leonard’ s deal. 如果在獨立調查之後NBA總裁Adam Silver真的認定快艇破壞了聯盟規則，他根據CBA將會有 能力沒收選秀權、罰款甚至是作廢Leonard的合約。 At a news conference Wednesday following an NBA board of governors meeting, Silver said he will look for more than the “appearance of impropriety” to penalize the team, adding that the burden of proof is on the league. “I think the goal of a full investigation is to find out if there really was impropriety,” Silver said. “In a public-facing sport, the public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false. I would want anyone else in situations Mr. Ballmer is in now — and Kawhi, for that matter — to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me. We’re not a court of law at the end of the day, either.” 在週三NBA董事會會議後的新聞發佈會上，Silver表示，他將尋找的不僅僅是"不當行為的 表象"，才會對球隊進行處罰，並補充說舉證責任在於聯盟。 Silver說道:"我認為完整調查的目標是要弄清楚是否真的存在不當行為。在一個公開的運 動裡，大眾有時會得出一些結論，但後來卻被證明完全是錯的。我希望任何處在Mr. Ballmer和Kawhi這樣情境中的人，都能被一視同仁，就像如果有人對我提出指控時，我也 希望能受到同樣對待一樣。最終，我們並不是法院。" 心得: 基本上 Torre(原本爆料的人)大翻車 1. Ballmer在公司快倒的時候又丟10M進去燒 Wong可能是他後來又多拉下水的新投資人 2. Cherny(前任CEO)表示高層內部從未提過這合約要繞過薪資上限 3. Sanberg給Kawhi 20M的股票很有可能跟28M是同一筆(也有可能是分開 但Email看起來是 說我負責這樣) 是為了要讓公司其他高層閉嘴 所以自己拿出20M價值的股票給Kawhi (Kawhi的爛約是他簽的) 4. Kawhi的代言合約被視為溢價爛約(跟他的NBA合約一樣 沒) 但是如果他都沒做事 Aspiration一直都可以不給錢 所以並不是Torre說的不用做事的合約 而是Aspiration方 根本不知道要怎麼透過Leonard打廣告 5. 那個被Aspiration騙然後是受害人的很有可能真的就是Ballmer 那50M被視為罪款 6. 維持Ballmer/Kawhi的關係很有可能是要騙Ballmer更多的錢(也的確騙到了) 7. 合約不是舅舅Uncle Dennis Robertson獨立簽的 Kawhi的經紀人清楚知道這張合約的存 在 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 104.176.138.216 (美國) ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/NBA/M.1757717341.A.89F.html ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 06:57:06 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 06:58:54 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:00:28 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:03:33 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:07:55 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:13:31 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:18:14 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:26:38 ※ 編輯: EZ78 (104.176.138.216 美國), 09/13/2025 07:29:10 ※ EZ78:轉錄至看板 LaClippers 09/13 08:21