The NBA’s nearly year-long investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers has ended with one of the harshest punishments in league history, sending the franchise back to territory last seen during Minnesota’s Joe Smith salary-cap scandal 25 seasons ago. In the words of Mark Cuban, “Congrats Pablo.” Advertisement The League has concluded that the Clippers violated salary-cap circumvention rules by facilitating …
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Swanson: Kawhi Leonard is a Hall of Fame scam artist who deserves Clippers fans’ boos
Clippers fans, please join the rest of L.A. in booing Kawhi Leonard. With your whole chests, let him hear it, the entitled scoundrel. Greedy villain. Selfish charlatan. The Clippers’ star and his team found the one NBA franchise that was desperate enough to allegedly acquiesce to all of his out-of-bounds demands, to break the rules if only he would please, …
Read More »NBA hammers Clippers, Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard following investigation
The NBA handed down sweeping penalties to the Clippers, owner Steve Ballmer, team executives and star Kawhi Leonard following an investigation into allegations the group circumvented the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The Clippers said in a statement that they “vehemently reject the NBA’s findings” and vowed to challenge them. Leonard issued a statement saying he had no direct knowledge of …
Read More »Steve Ballmer suspended one year, Clippers to lose 5 first-round picks in Kawhi Leonard endorsement scandal
Facing a mountain of evidence, the NBA had to bring the hammer down hard on Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers in the salary cap circumvention case involving Kawhi Leonard and former team sponsor Aspiration, among others. If not, 29 other team owners would have gotten the message that the price for circumventing the salary cap was worth it. …
Read More »Is the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard punishment the NBA’s harshest ever?
The NBA has dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers. After a yearlong investigation into salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard, the league is stripping the Clippers of five first-round picks and fining owner Steve Ballmer $30 million, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Advertisement Ballmer, general managers Lawrence Frank and president of business operations Gillian Zucker also received suspensions. Leonard …
Read More »Read Kawhi Leonard statement on NBA’s significant punishments, fines
NBA star Kawhi Leonard issued a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 2, after the league announced significant punishments for the Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer. The NBA announced the Clippers circumvented the salary cap with its alleged facilitation of “no-show” endorsement deals for Leonard, their former star forward, the league announced after an 11-month investigation concluded. Here’s how the star …
Read More »NBA fans in disbelief over Kawhi Leonard’s light punishment from investigation
The NBA dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for star forward Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers are forced to forfeit five first-round NBA Draft picks, are fined $30 million to owner Steve Ballmer, and both Ballmer, Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker, and President of Basketball Operations …
Read More »Frances Tiafoe wants to feed off ‘Knicks energy’ to end US Open drought — even if his NBA fandom is elsewhere
In the hunt to be the first American to end the Grand Slam drought, Frances Tiafoe is hoping to channel the Knicks’ championship energy while he’s in Flushing Meadows. Tiafoe advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open, defeating Rei Sakamoto in three sets in front of noted celebrity Knicks fan Ben Stiller on Wednesday night, and was asked …
Read More »Clippers declare war on NBA over Kawhi Leonard verdict: ‘Heavily biased investigation’
The Los Angeles Clippers are not going down easy after the NBA dropped the hammer on them Wednesday. The Clippers’ organization was stripped of five first-round NBA draft picks and was fined $30 million as a result of the NBA’s verdict that they violated the league’s salary cap circumvention rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for superstar forward Kawhi Leonard. Advertisement Los …
Read More »Clippers ‘vehemently reject’ NBA’s findings, will ‘vigorously challenge’ penalties
The Los Angeles Clippers “vehemently reject” the NBA’s findings that they circumvented the salary cap with their alleged facilitation of “no-show” endorsement deals for their former star forward Kawhi Leonard, the team said in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The Clippers’ statement came soon after the NBA announced significant punishments for the team, owner Steve Ballmer and Leonard following …
Read More »How Kawhi Leonard escaped NBA’s hammer in Clippers scandal
The Clippers received one of the harshest punishments in NBA history. Kawhi Leonard did not. Despite being found in violation of the same salary-cap rules, he escaped with comparatively little damage. Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard responds to questions during NBA Finals press conferences at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, Sunday, June 9, 2019. EPA That contrast has become the …
Read More »The Kawhi Leonard Clippers punishment and how it impacts the Sixers
Nearly a year to the day that Pablo Torre published his first episode reporting on the Kawhi Leonard cap circumvention saga with a company called Aspiration, the league has finally doled out punishment to both Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers certainly came away worse for wear than the All-NBA forward they signed back in 2019. Per Shams …
Read More »Warriors insider confirms Golden State whiffed on another attempt to bolster roster
The Warriors’ search for another star alongside Stephen Curry has produced a growing collection of almosts. The latest name to add to the list is Jaren Jackson Jr. ESPN’s Anthony Slater revealed Golden State explored acquiring the former Defensive Player of the Year before Memphis traded him to Utah at February’s deadline. Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates …
Read More »NBA just sent a warning to every billionaire owner with Kawhi Leonard ruling
The NBA’s $30 million penalty was aimed at the Clippers. The five missing first-round picks were a warning to every billionaire owner like Steve Ballmer. By hammering Los Angeles for circumventing the salary cap through off-court opportunities for Kawhi Leonard, the NBA did more than punish one franchise. It drew a boundary around one of the biggest advantages available to …
Read More »Spurs Villain Tournament, Round 1: Spurs Haters
It’s time for our next category of Spurs villains. This time, we’re looking for your votes on Spurs haters. These are the people who have made it a priority to take a dig at the Silver and Black, on or off the court. Readers will vote for the biggest villain in a poll, and the winner of each match-up will advance …
Read More »Utah Jazz Reacts: Post-Cody Williams Trade Reaction
With it being almost a week since the Cody Williams trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the dust has settled. But we haven’t really gotten a pulse on exactly how Jazz fans felt about it. That’s the center of the question for this week’s Utah Jazz Reacts survey. Did you feel like it was enough? Was it not enough? Was it …
Read More »Stop. Hammer time. The Clippers finally got what was coming
In a decision we’ve been waiting nearly a year to hear, the NBA has finally ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers circumvention investigation. The case was originally uncovered by Pablo Torre and centered on Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration, a company that allegedly paid Leonard to serve as an ambassador while potentially functioning as a mechanism to provide him additional compensation …
Read More »NBA punishes Clippers, Steve Ballmer: 5 key findings from the league’s Kawhi Leonard investigation
A day short of a full year since Pablo Torre unearthed evidence that the Los Angeles Clippers under owner Steve Ballmer circumvented the NBA’s salary cap in their dealings with star forward Kawhi Leonard, the league released the findings of its own investigation into the franchise and Leonard. The 35-page report from the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & …
Read More »Spurs officially announce DAZN as exclusive broadcaster
The San Antonio Spurs have officially announced DAZN as their exclusive media rights partner for the 2026-2027 season. Last month, DAZN announced deals with several other NBA teams, filling the gap that regional sports networks left behind after closing up shop. A deal with San Antonio was strongly suggested but was not official until now. In a deal similar to …
Read More »Winners and losers from NBA finding, penalties on Clippers, Kawhi Leonard investigation
Adam Silver and the NBA brought the hammer down on the Clippers. Announcing the findings and penalties from a year-long investigation into the Clippers using team sponsors and business partners to circumvent the salary cap and funnel more money to Kawhi Leonard, the league came down with the harshest penalties in league history: Advertisement • The Clippers surrender five first-round …
Read More »The Lakers’ front office appears to be stuck in limbo amid ownership change
Ideally, you don’t want an ownership change to come right in the middle of a restructuring of a front office and franchise philosophy. It tends to cause some issues. The Lakers find themselves in an awkward position. The Dodgerizing of the front office was well underway when Mark Walter abruptly sold the team to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. Advertisement …
Read More »Clippers slam NBA probe as ‘witch hunt,’ vow to explore ‘every legal remedy to address this gross injustice’
The NBA dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers and team owner Steve Ballmer on Wednesday, and the Clippers are vowing to fight back. The league released the long-awaited results of its investigation into allegations that the Clippers circumvented the NBA’s salary cap in its dealings with All-Star Kawhi Leonard and multiple third-party vendors. Advertisement The league concluded that …
Read More »Was Kawhi Leonard’s punishment too light? ‘I think it could have been worse’
Shortly after NBA commissioner Adam Silver handed the Los Angeles Clippers the most severe punishment for salary cap circumvention in over a quarter of a century, star forward Kawhi Leonard, the central figure of the yearlong investigation, released a statement: “Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment …
Read More »5 takeaways from the NBA’s punishment of the Clippers: By dropping a sledgehammer, Adam Silver squares off against the league’s richest owner
Adam Silver didn’t just drop the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers. He busted out the sledgehammer and called in the wrecking ball for good measure. Make no mistake about it, the commissioner sent a message on Wednesday. Not just to the Clippers. He cc’d the entire NBA and anyone who dared to think about the words, “cap circumvention.” Advertisement …
Read More »Pablo Torre says ‘more to come’ after NBA crackdown on Clippers
Pablo Torre, the journalist whose reporting led the NBA to crack down on the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing the league salary cap rules, said he is not done with the story. “There is more to come than is in the NBA report,” Torre said Wednesday, Sept. 2 during his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out. “This is not everything.” Advertisement …
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