Overview
- The NBA announced Wednesday that it fined the Clippers $30 million, forfeited first‑round picks in 2029–2033, suspended owner Steve Ballmer for one year and levied a $700,000 fine against Kawhi Leonard.
- Investigators from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz concluded the Clippers initiated and facilitated endorsement agreements with Aspiration, Daktronics, Boingo and Lockton that were tied to business those companies did with the team.
- The league found the Clippers paid or approved personal expenses for Leonard and his representatives and that executives Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker arranged deals and in Zucker’s case provided false or misleading statements to investigators.
- Leonard will not be suspended or have his contract voided, clearing the way for his proposed trade to the Toronto Raptors to proceed, while his uncle and former representative Dennis Robertson was banned from team business for five years.
- The Clippers reject the findings and say they will challenge the ruling, but the NBA says the probe may receive more information and will monitor the franchise’s compliance for years, a penalty that will materially weaken Los Angeles’s future roster building.