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The NBA brought the hammer down on the Clippers for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for star forward Kawhi Leonard.
The franchise has been stripped of five first-round picks from 2029-2033. The Clippers were issued a $30 million fine, and the league suspended owner Steve Ballmer (one year), President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker (one year) and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank (six months) for various periods.
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The type of punishments that could make the Clippers irrelevant for at least the next half decade.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard received different punishments for the Clippers circumventing the league’s salary cap. Getty Images
While the Clippers intend to “vigorously challenge” these league’s findings and penalties, the details of the investigation that led to the Clippers’ punishments are damning.
Leonard is also required to pay the NBA $700,000 for his connections with the violations, while his uncle and former business representative, Dennis Robertson, has been being banned by the NBA from all business dealings for five years.
As part of its announcement, the NBA released the summary report prepared by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the law firm that conducted the independent investigation over the last year in the aftermath of the podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” producing the first in a series of episodes in September 2025 alleging the Clippers and Ballmer violated the league’s salary cap circumvention rules through deals with now-bankrupt Aspiration.
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The report stated the Clippers initiated off-court income opportunities not only between Leonard and Aspiration, but also Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance.
There are many details within the 36-page report that builds a mountain of evidence against the Clippers and their personnel.
Damning Evidence on Clippers Misdeeds
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA. AP Photo/Ryan Sun
Among the evidence were the details surrounding Leonard’s endorsement…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/inside-ruse-clippers-kawhi-leonard-211519922.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-03 21:15:00
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