NewzLos Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year by the NBA, and the team was ordered to pay $30 million for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving Kawhi Leonard.(Image credit: Ryan Sun) LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA, the team will forfeit five first-round draft picks from 2029 to 2033, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months for violating salary cap circumvention rules.The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.Also, president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year, the team was fined $30 million, and star player Kawhi Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty.I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family, Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyones part to circumvent the salary cap, Leonard said in his statement.The league said Ballmer was suspended for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, among other issues.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year by the NBA, and the team was ordered to forfeit five first-round draft picks and pay a $30 million fine Wednesday for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving Kawhi Leonard.Also, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months and team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year. Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty.The league came down hard on the organization after a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.The team maintained that stance after the league's announcement.“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner (Adam) Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”The Clippers said they will “now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence.
We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”The NBA opened the investigation in September 2025 into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy last year — broke league rules, following a report by podcast journalist Pablo Torre. Earlier this year, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard said in a statement issued through his new agent, Harrison Gaines.The NBA said Leonard, through his former business manager and uncle Dennis Robertson, “violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportuni… The NBA on Wednesday announced severe punishments for the LA Clippers for violating salary cap circumvention rules when they signed star Kawhi Leonard in 2022.
The Los Angeles Clippers were fined $30m and star player Kawhi Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty by the NBA on Wednesday for violating salary cap circumvention rules. The NBA has declined to suspend Kawhi Leonard or void his contract after its salary-cap circumvention investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers, clearing a major hurdle for his proposed return to the Toronto Raptors. The league announced Wednesday it stripped the Clippers of five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and fined the team US$30 million after an independent investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker were suspended for one year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. Leonard was ordered to pay the NBA $700,000 after the investigation found he violated circumvention rules by obtaining off-court income opportunities with the Clippers’ assistance and failing to reimburse personal expenses paid by the team. Leonard’s uncle and former business manager Dennis Robertson was banned from conducting business with NBA teams and their affiliates for five years.
“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am,” Leonard said in a statement. “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family. “I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.
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