NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
The NBA isn’t ready to let the Los Angeles Clippers off the hook just yet — and it made that abundantly clear after an ESPN report suggested the league’s investigation had taken a potentially significant turn.
ESPN reported Monday that investigators have found no evidence Clippers owner Steve Ballmer personally funneled money through team sponsors to Kawhi Leonard as a way of circumventing the salary cap.
Advertisement
The report, citing three sources familiar with discussions between the league and Clippers, suggested investigators are instead examining whether Los Angeles broke rules simply by connecting Leonard with team business partners.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard gestures to fans as he is shown on the stadium video screen during a break in the quarterfinal match between Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina at Sobeys Stadium on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (This asset – including all text, audio and imagery – is provided by Imagn Images. Reuters Connec) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The NBA responded with an unusually forceful rebuke.
“ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation — for which the NBA declined to cooperate — contains numerous and significant inaccuracies,” league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. “The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.”
The league did not specify which portions of ESPN’s reporting it considers inaccurate, leaving an already murky investigation with another major point of disagreement.
Advertisement
ESPN also reported that investigators are examining whether the Clippers failed to properly supervise employees and that attorneys representing Ballmer and the team have been engaged in “spirited” negotiations with the league since law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz presented initial findings in late July.
The investigation began nearly a year ago after allegations surfaced that Leonard received a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal from Aspiration, a now-bankrupt company that had major financial ties to Ballmer and the Clippers.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-unloads-espn-over-numerous-181728374.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-08-17 18:17:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
