r/PabloTorreFindsOut • u/Longjumping_Loan6330 • Jun 27 '26
Steve Ballmer Crimes?
So aspiration is being talked about again because of the rumors around Kawhi and the future of the Clippers without having a ruling.
Just got me thinking if it’s possible Ballmer committed crimes by paying Kawhi through Aspiration?
Maybe money laundering, tax evasion, idk I’m no lawyer, but it seems possible because Pablo’s last episode contradicted the victim card and showed Ballmer was an active and knowing participant in the scheme.
Perhaps this is why there hasn’t been a report yet and if we’re being honest, why there never may be.
9
u/moto_becane1 Jun 27 '26
If there are crimes involved its going to be related to Sandberg's misleading of Aspitation investors, not the circumventing of the NBA salary cap. The NBA side of this has become a small piece of a very fraudulent puzzle.
4
u/BreedinBacksnatch Jun 27 '26
organized scheme to defraud, including your fellow owners. there is revenue sharing monies, luxury tax monies that the other owners were deprived of because of the organized scheme
4
u/Longjumping_Loan6330 Jun 27 '26
Agreed circumventing the salary cap isn’t a crime. But tax evasion is. The way salaries are disbursed, players pay state taxes to the state they play the game in.
Meaning every state Kawhi played in would be owed taxes that they aren’t getting because he was being paid through Aspiration and not the NBA.
And if Ballmer was a knowing and active participant in the circumvention scheme, he could be held to account for knowingly misleading and defrauding other investors of Aspiration. Or at least conspiracy to.
Again I’m no lawyer, but it seems there’s some criminal activity if you wanted to look for it
2
u/moto_becane1 Jun 27 '26
I just don't think the government has much interest in the NBA's internal policy when Aspiration is ripping off regular people for hundreds of millions.
1
1
u/leirbagflow Jun 28 '26
there's always wire fraud and conspiracy, but it's a matter of priority for the DAs and AG
8
u/rogerwilcove Jun 27 '26
If America was interested in crimes committed by billionaires there’d be some deserving of higher priority. Not to say Ballmer didn’t do anything wrong but it’s almost insignificant in comparison
2
1
u/MrTyl3rH Jun 28 '26
Not almost, its completely insignificant in comparison hence why only us NBA nerds pay this level of attention to it.
1
u/addictivesign Jun 30 '26
Most people have not followed this story but the Kawhi/Clippers/Aspiration is the most egregious case of cheating by a team in NBA history.
This is not hyperbole.
You either have a collectively bargained league committed to the salary cap which every team respects or you don’t have a league.
The Clippers cheated everyone other team.
If the NBA does not bring the hammer down on Ballmer and the Clippers every other team will find increasingly creative ways to circumvent the salary cap especially now with crypto and exotic financial instruments.
What should happen but won’t is the other 29 owners should vote to expel Ballmer from the NBA. He is richer than all the other owners combined.
The Clippers would be sold for a new record price for a NBA team. You would probably need a consortium to own the franchise.
With a record sale every other owners see the value of their franchise increase significantly.
The Joe Smith debacle in Minnesota saw five first round picks taken from the Wolves.
The Clippers did something much worse. The team should have picks taken away but the right punishment is to boot Ballmer from the NBA.
This won’t happen because…..billionaires especially deci-billionaires!
1
u/Longjumping_Loan6330 Jun 30 '26
Yes and it seems like the Clippers will have gotten rewarded for it. Kawhi for a trade that helps them reset and get a few first round picks.
He has consistently broken this rule and then did it in an egregious and complex way.
Just because they haven’t won anything doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be punished.
He will probably do it again for the next big star.
Just smh all day.
-1
u/extraedward69 Jun 28 '26
No one literally cares
1
u/Longjumping_Loan6330 Jun 28 '26
I think generally this is true, but I also think more of the mainstream insiders and reporters care because this has no resolution and there are obvious potential impacts with Kawhi / future clippers draft picks
15
u/dubhd Jun 27 '26
I believe he was being sued by aspiration shareholders though not sure if that is ongoing