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NEW YORK — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the punishment of the Los Angeles Clippers for their role in circumventing the salary cap is final and was meant as a deterrent for other teams not to engage in breaking league rules.
Silver discussed some of the league’s pressing matters as they concluded the two-day Board of Governors meeting in midtown Manhattan, while preparing for their 81st season starting Oct. 20, when the New York Knicks begin their defense of the championship against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Los Angeles had five first-round picks taken away, was fined $30 million, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities for one year for what the NBA said was the team “knowingly seeking to help” star forward Kawhi Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities.
Two other Clippers executives were suspended, and Leonard was fined $700,000 for their roles in the scheme; they were not represented at this Board of Governors meeting. Ballmer apologized to the team’s fans and said in a statement he won’t fight the salary-cap circumvention penalties.
Feb 5, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view a Wilson NBA basketball and logo during the game between the Mavericks and the Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Silver said during a press conference that there was difficulty in punishing the team, but there had to be “competitive consequences” for rule violations, and he doesn’t think that he has done permanent damage to the franchise.
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“We still want to be a 30-team league, and we recognize that, in some ways, we’re unfortunately punishing the fans of that team as well. And so that’s the balance we’re trying to seek,” Silver said. “The ultimate goal, in terms of these type of sanctions, are to ensure that other teams don’t have to engage in this type of behavior, in the future, so there has to be something beyond suspensions and financial consequences, and that has to be to regulate competition”
The Clippers concluded the June 30 trade that sent Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors, where he helped win the NBA championship…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-commissioner-admits-clippers-discipline-202826557.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-15 20:28:00
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