Clippers Arena Deal Dragged Into US Probe of California Fintech

Just ahead of the 2021 NBA season, Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft chief who owns the Los Angeles Clippers, announced a partnership with a California fintech that would make his team a leader in corporate environmentalism.

The billionaire held a press conference to showcase how the deal with Aspiration, a company that offers carbon credits to businesses seeking to cut their climate footprints, would help make the Clippers’ new home “the most sustainable arena in the world.” In all, the firm would pay more than $300 million over two decades in a sponsorship deal, and even get its logo ...