Pablo Torre's podcast wins Pulitzer Prize for Clippers report, capping a remarkable rise

Leonard has denied any wrongdoing, saying he didn’t receive all of the money he was owed from the company.

The Clippers have strongly denied that any rules were broken and said they welcomed the league’s investigation, which is being run by an outside firm.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a $50 million investment in Aspiration, and the company and the team announced a $300 million partnership in September 2021. That was about a month after Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million extension with the Clippers.

The team ended its relationship with Aspiration after two years, saying the contract was in default. Aspiration’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty in August after facing federal charges of wire fraud. Prosecutors said he defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million, adding that “Aspiration’s financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received.”

Torre's podcast is produced by Meadowlark Media and licensed by The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times Company. The 40-year-old Torre also has worked for Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA