Clippers reportedly name lawyer John Gibson as interim governor, CEO amid Steve Ballmer’s suspension for Kawhi Leonard scandal

The Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly named Los Angeles-based lawyer John Gibson as the team’s interim governor and CEO in the absence of now-suspended owner Steve Ballmer, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday.

Gibson previously served as the lead trial counsel for the Clippers and was involved in the litigation surrounding the sale of the team from former owner Donald Sterling to Steve Ballmer.

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Ballmer is currently facing a one-year suspension from the league following an investigation that found he was “knowingly seeking to help Mr. [Kawhi] Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” in violation of the league’s salary cap. He was also fined $30 million dollars for his involvement in violating the league’s salary-cap circumvention rules.

“The investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules,” the NBA stated in its announcement of Ballmer’s punishment. The team was also stripped of five first-round picks.

Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker also received a one-year suspension, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension without pay stemming from the investigation.

Leonard, meanwhile, was fined $700,000 for his role in the scandal. While the investigation was still active, the Clippers traded Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors. That trade was briefly put on hold until the NBA released its findings. After Leonard avoided a suspension, both teams decided to go ahead with the deal.

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In the wake of the NBA’s punishments, Ballmer and the Clippers initially rejected the league’s findings, threatening a fight. Days later, however, Ballmer accepted the league’s findings and said he would not pursue legal action against the NBA.

With that out of the way, Ballmer and the Clippers needed to find an interim governor and CEO while Ballmer serves his suspension. They accomplished that Monday, taking the first step of many on the team’s path to recovery and redemption following the scandal.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/clippers-reportedly-name-lawyer-john-gibson-as-interim-governor-ceo-amid-steve-ballmers-suspension-for-kawhi-leonard-scandal-163141691.html

Author : Kate Magdziuk,Chris Cwik

Publish date : 2026-09-21 16:31:00

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