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 biggest question following the league’s salary-cap circumvention ruling, which cost Los Angeles five first-round picks and hit owner Steve Ballmer with a $30 million penalty. Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker were also suspended.
Leonard owes $700,000 in restitution. He wasn’t suspended. More importantly, his contract survived.
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement and the findings of its yearlong investigation help explain how Leonard landed so softly.
The league hired Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate how the Clippers helped generate lucrative off-court opportunities for their star.
Under Article XIII of the CBA, players can be fined, forced to return improper benefits or have their contracts voided for circumvention. The provision allowing suspensions of up to one year, however, specifically applies to team personnel.
So Leonard avoiding suspension isn’t the biggest surprise.
Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and owner Steve Ballmer attend the LA Clippers’ Media Day at Intuit Dome on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. AP
The real escape was keeping his contract.
And that may come down to what investigators could — and could not — prove Leonard personally knew.
Wachtell found Leonard violated the CBA through Dennis Robertson, his uncle and former business representative, who repeatedly pushed Clippers officials to create outside income opportunities for Leonard.
Leonard was hardly unaware of the money.
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard poses with his uncle Dennis Robertson (left) as his mother, Kim Robertson, (right) holds his Finals MVP Trophy in Oakland, Calif., Friday, June 14, 2019. The Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. AP
He signed lucrative endorsement deals generated through those efforts and personally requested changes to the cash and equity structure of his proposed Aspiration agreement.
But the investigation draws an important line between knowing the deals existed and knowing how the Clippers were making them happen.
Wachtell did not find that Leonard personally knew the Clippers were directing business toward companies in exchange for benefits flowing back to him. It also stopped short of concluding Leonard understood that those arrangements amounted to salary cap circumvention.
That gap proved extremely valuable.
Nolan Traore of the Brooklyn Nets defends against Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers during the second quarter at Barclays Center on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Robertson made the demands. Clippers executives worked to satisfy them. Leonard received the benefits.
But Robertson’s position between Leonard and the organization made it considerably harder to establish how much of the machinery Leonard himself understood.
In effect, Robertson became a buffer — and now, whether intentionally or not, something resembling a fall guy.
The report does not say Leonard deliberately used his uncle that way. But Robertson is the person whose conduct established Leonard’s violation while simultaneously providing Leonard separation from the conduct investigators considered most serious.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer celebrates after guard Chris Paul hit a last-second basket during the second half of Game 7 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, May 2, 2015, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 111-109. AP
The assignment of blame drives that point home.
Wachtell identified Ballmer, Zucker and Frank — not Leonard — as the three people “most responsible” for the violations. Robertson, whom Leonard fired in June, has since been banned from NBA business dealings.
Leonard therefore emerged in an unusual position: Investigators determined that his representative broke the rules on his behalf and that Leonard received the resulting benefits, yet they stopped short of finding that Leonard knowingly participated in the Clippers’ method of circumventing the cap.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard sits on the bench during the first half in Game 6 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, July 1, 2021, in Los Angeles. AP
That distinction appears to have saved him from much worse.
It doesn’t mean Leonard was cleared. He wasn’t.
It means the evidence created enough separation between Leonard and the mechanics of the scheme that the NBA chose not to impose the most severe player-specific remedy available to it.
Robertson may not have been Leonard’s intentional fall guy, but he became an effective buffer.
The Clippers took the full force of the punishment. Leonard kept his contract, avoided suspension and largely walked away with the damage contained.
The NBA issued stiff penalties for the Los Angeles Clippers, team owner Steve Ballmer and their former star forward Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday, Sept. 2, after an 11-month investigation found they violated salary cap circumvention rules.
The league levied fines of $30 million for the Clippers and $700,000 fine for Leonard, who denied any knowledge of wrongdoing but said he will accept the penalties.
Additionally, the NBA suspended Ballmer from all league activities for the next year; team president of business operations Gillian Zucker for one year without pay; and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months without pay.
"I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in statement. "The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations."
The Clippers denied the league's findings, calling it "a biased investigation" and said they would challenge the findings and punishments.
Here's what the Clippers' draft pick situation looks like for the foreseeable future.
Clippers first-round picks
The Clippers will forfeit five first-round draft picks in the coming years.
Which draft picks did Clippers lose?
The Clippers lost their first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033.
Can the Clippers draft in 2027?
Technically, yes, via a pick swap. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the right to swap with the Clippers if LA's draft position, based on record and lottery results, is more favorable than either OKC's slot or Denver's pick, which is top-five protected.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, looks on at his new players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, right, during a press conference at the Green Meadows Recreation Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. George and Leonard were introduced to the media and fans as the newest members of the Clippers. (Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Daily Breeze via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Count me among the cynics who thought that Steve Ballmer was simply too rich, too friendly with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and had too many lawyers to face serious punishment for his team’s blatant attempts to circumvent the salary cap with a series of shady endorsement deals for Kawhi Leonard. The punishment Silver and the NBA handed down Wednesday is serious indeed.
BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence… pic.twitter.com/JCV5bI88BE
It’s a huge penalty for the Clippers, who will forfeit their first-round picks from 2029 to 2033. That’s almost as much as they gave up to get Paul George! The Clippers’ 2027 and 2028 firsts are already encumbered by trades, so they’ll lose the next five, leaving them with only the Indiana Pacers’ pick in 2029 and the Toronto Raptors’ draft picks in 2031 and 2033.
Leonard’s own punishment was only a $700K fine, so presumably the Raptors will no longer object to completing their earlier deal for The Claw, and he can move on to no-show deals with Tim Horton’s, Canada Dry, and Molson’s.
The NBA’s nearly year-long investigation “found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization.” Those violations included:
● Affirmatively initiating off-court income opportunities between Mr. Leonard and four companies doing business with the team: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance;
● Facilitating endorsement agreements between these companies and Mr. Leonard;
● Inducing the companies to enter into these agreements by offering them business from the team;
● Paying personal expenses on behalf of Mr. Leonard and his representatives; and
● Failing to report improper solicitations for off-court income opportunities made on Mr. Leonard’s behalf through his then-business manager, Dennis Robertson.
Ballmer and the Clippers had loudly proclaimed their innocence as to any wrongdoing in Leonard’s $28M endorsement deal with Aspiration, the now-defunct tree-planting/climate credits company that was a big Clippers sponsor. That deal apparently didn’t require Leonard to do anything to reap tens of millions, whether it was to post about the company or plant one single tree, and it was never announced publicly, which seems contrary to the idea of celebrity endorsements.
Journalist Pablo Torre has been all over the story since it began, also pointing out the questionable endorsement deal Leonard had with Daktronics, a scoreboard manufacturer that didn’t have any other celebrity endorsements — since they make gigantic scoreboard displays. The NBA’s investigation, conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, also found previously unreported illegal deals with Boingo Wireless and Lockton Insurance worth $18M in total.
Yes, Kawhi wasn’t doing ads for them either, and none of them was reported publicly. The three companies became paid consultants for the Clippers at the same time as they reached endorsement deals with Leonard, with two of them receiving immediate payments of $10M in “consulting fees.” Why they needed consultation with Boingo Wireless remains unexplained.
Not only did the Clippers have to forfeit five first-round picks, the same punishment given to the Minnesota Timberwolves a quarter century ago for making an illegal secret deal with Joe Smith, Ballmer and the Clippers head of business operations, Gillian Zucker, are suspended for a year. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. Zucker and Frank’s suspensions are unpaid, but Ballmer will surely be able to find them some endorsement opportunities to make up for the lost income.
Now the Clippers are rebuilding around an uninspiring young core of Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram, and No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler, but precious little else. It’s an open question whether head coach Ty Lue will want to hang around, though he’s reportedly signed for three more seasons. The Clippers will also have to motivate themselves without the NBA’s most enthusiastic and sweatiest owner sitting courtside, relying instead on THE WALL, a Clipper-fans-only section behind one basket that honestly might have trouble filling its seats.
Who are the big winners? Adam Silver, who stood up to the richest owner in the league and came down with an old-school punishment worthy of David Stern, if not Kennesaw Mountain Landis himself. There’s Pablo Torre, who led the way on the story and was vindicated tremendously by the league’s ruling. There’s the Raptors, who get Leonard without his contract being encumbered. And there’s Leonard himself, who seems to have escaped cheaply by only drawing a $700K fine for taking what may have been tens of millionsof dollars.
Who are the losers? Steve Ballmer is the biggest one. We’d say the Clippers, but this is just one in a series of embarrassments that have defined the franchise since it moved out of Buffalo. Clippers fans don’t expect good things.
Mark Cuban, one of the most vocal Ballmer defenders, has to be considered a loser, as do Ramona Shelburne, Don Van Natta, and Baxter Holmes of ESPN, who confidently reported that the NBA had nothing on the Clippers just two weeks ago. Shelburne also hosted a softball interview with Ballmer a year ago on ESPN that was embarrassing at the time and even more so in hindsight.
Steve Ballmer:
"Pablo's podcast I don't know anything about the court documents on this. I haven't seen them and I don't know. The speculation is what it is. They conned me. I made an investment in these guys" https://t.co/5HqOZF5z9Apic.twitter.com/iqI1kYMZHL
The investigators called Ballmer’s statements during that interview that the Clippers “weren’t involved” in Leonard’s Aspiration deal “inaccurate (at best) with respect to Mr. Ballmer and clearly false with respect to Ms. Zucker.”
Who did not take the L? The Clippers, who continue to deny any wrongdoing and threaten to sic their lawyers on the NBA.
Statement from the Clippers: We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence. What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today… https://t.co/HDgzD45qC3
Do we know why the NBA is biased against the Clippers? We’re sure the Clippers will explain, just like they’ll provide a reasonable explanation for team sponsors secretly giving millions of dollars to the superstar to do nothing as they’re also receiving massive consulting fees from the team.
The evidence is more damning than anyone realized, and the punishment is worse than anyone expected. Maybe not all billionaires believe that they can do whatever they want, but the billionaire who owns the Clippers clearly did. For the Warriors, their richest division rival has been seriously weakened.
Ultimately, Adam Silver was Steph Curry in this investigation, and Steve Ballmer was Chris Paul.
Kawhi Leonard joined the LA Clippers in 2019 [Getty Images]
The LA Clippers have been fined $30m (£22.2m) by the NBA for violating salary rules in order to funnel millions of dollars to star player Kawhi Leonard.
The fine - the largest in the league's history - comes after the NBA report said Leonard pressured the Clippers into "obtaining off-court income opportunities [and] successfully obtaining those opportunities".
The investigation was opened in September 2025 when podcast journalist Pablo Torre reported that a $28m (£20.8m) endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC could have broken league rules.
The Clippers will also have to forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033, while owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for 12 months for his role in matters involving Leonard's sponsorship contracts.
Two-time NBA champion Leonard has been fined $700,000 (£520,000) by the league.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was "deeply disappointed" by the Clippers' "flagrant violations" of the rules and said the "severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations".
Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker has been suspended for one year without pay for providing "misleading statements to investigators".
The NBA said its month-long investigation "found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organisation, a prior offender of the salary-cap circumvention rules".
Following the ruling, Leonard, 35, said he "accepts full responsibility" for his actions and "regrets the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family".
"I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone's part to circumvent the salary cap," he wrote on Instagram.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP joined the Clippers in 2019 and spent seven years with the franchise before leaving this year.
The NBA said the "organisation and personnel" of the Clippers will be subject to a compliance and monitoring programme overseen by the league for five years.
Clippers to appeal against 'witch hunt' fine
The Clippers said they would appeal against the decision "through every avenue available".
"We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence," read a Clippers statement.
"What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure [its] fairness and accuracy."
Leonard is now expected to complete his move to Toronto Raptors, which was on hold until the investigation was completed.
Ballmer's attorney David Kelley said in a statement - released by the Clippers, according to ESPN - that suggested the team and his client has been subject of a "witch hunt" and the punishments were a "gross injustice".
"Mr Ballmer's reputation has been irreparably damaged as he now finds himself embroiled not only in this heavily biased investigation, but in civil litigation, the Aspiration bankruptcy proceeding, and more," Kelley said.
The NBA came down hard on the Los Angeles Clippers for violating salary cap circumvention rules.
The league announced significant penalties and fines for the Clippers organization, owner Steve Ballmer, former star Kawhi Leonard and other team executives in relation to their role in the scandal after releasing the findings of an 11-month independent investigation.
A law firm commissioned by the NBA determined the Clippers facilitated alleged "no-show" endorsement deals for Leonard with at least four different companies following an initial "Pablo Torre Reports" investigation into Leonard's dealings with the Clippers and team sponsor, Aspiration Partners. The investigation also revealed the Clippers, who are considered a repeat offender by the NBA, broke rules by paying for personal expenses on behalf of Leonard and his representatives in a manner not allowed under NBA rules.
Commissioner Adam Silver is not taking the matter lightly, saying in a statement, "the severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations." The Clippers have vehemently denied the allegations and responded Wednesday that they will continue to challenge the findings from the league's investigation.
Here's a breakdown of the punishment handed out by the NBA to the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, owner Steve Ballmer and more after an investigation into the team's violations of the league's salary-cap circumvention rules:
The Clippers forfeited five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA Drafts.
The Clippers were fined $30 million.
The Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the NBA league office for five years.
Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months for his involvement with arranging the impermissible endorsement deals and approving impermissible expenses incurred by Leonard and his family.
Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year for being "primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators."
What penalties did Steve Balmer receive?
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.
What penalties did Kawhi Leonard receive?
Leonard received a $700,000 fine.
Leonard's former associate, Dennis Robertson, is banned for five years "from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel."
The NBA handed down sweeping penalties to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, team executives, the team and Kawhi Leonard following an investigation. (Getty Images)
Here is the NBA’s investigation into allegations the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The NBA handed down sweeping penalties to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, team executives, the team and Kawhi Leonard following an investigation. The Clippers said in a statement that they “vehemently reject the NBA’s findings” and vowed to challenge them.
The Clippers' statement came soon after the NBA announced significant punishments for the team, owner Steve Ballmer and Leonard following an 11-month investigation. Here's how the Clippers responded to being fined $30 million and forced to forfeit five first-round draft picks.
What Clippers said about punishment from NBA
"We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence," the statement read. "What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it's fairness and accuracy.
"For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process."
What are Clippers fines, punishments?
The Clippers are being fined a staggering $30 million, and the team will forfeit five first-round picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA drafts. Leonard has been fined $700,000, payable to the NBA, and the league is also suspending Ballmer from all league activities for one year.
According to the release, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association, "have entered into an agreement confirming these penalties are final and binding on all parties."
This comes after a recent ESPN report indicated that the league's investigation had found no evidence linking Ballmer to the alleged scheme. The NBA pushed back against that report, citing "significant inaccuracies."
Kawhi Leonard statement on Clippers punishments
“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family," the statement read via ESPN's Shams Charania.
"I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone's part to circumvent the salary cap. For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate."
Los Angeles released a very strong statement on these findings soon after they went public.
Steve Ballmer, owner of the LA Clippers, pumps up the crowd before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, on Oct. 10, 2023. Getty Images
“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence. What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner [Adam] Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy,” the statement read.
The Clippers release a statement saying they “vehemently reject the NBA’s findings” and will continue fighting to demonstrate their innocence. pic.twitter.com/s1jX67rpI0
“For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. / We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank are getting suspended for various periods because of the investigation.
Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers reacts against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter in Game Four of the Western Conference first round series at American Airlines Center on May 30, 2021, in Dallas, Texas. Getty Images
It seems that the Clippers are keen to fight this verdict.
The long NBA investigation into Kawhi Leonard the Los Angeles Clippers came to a conclusion Wednesday when the league issued punishments to the team, several of its executives and the star who was since traded to the Toronto Raptors.
Among the long list of punishments, the Clippers will be fined $30 million. They will also lose a substantial access to future talent, giving up five first-round picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA drafts.
For Leonard, the NBA states that the star player has been fined $700,000. No mention of suspension was included in the press release.
The world reacted accordingly as to what it means for the Clippers, Leonard and the future of the organization.
Reactions to NBA fines, Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers
Pretty sure this is the biggest punishment in NBA history. The Clippers finally have a banner they can hang! Just classic. https://t.co/W8lhRFCq1N
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 Lawrence Frank are all getting suspended for various periods of time.
Kawhi Leonard is being fined $700,000 but is not getting suspended. Therefore, this opens the door for him to reunite with the Toronto Raptors, a trade which has been in place for several months.
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard speaks to reporters before a team practice on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. The Raptors are scheduled to play the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. AP
Many feel like Leonard is getting off easy, given that this investigation was centered around him and his contract. And several hilarious social media posts are conveying this.
X user @KingJosiah54 posted a video of a kid on the swings with a fire in the background with the caption, “Raptors waiting for Kawhi outside the Clippers facility”.
“Kawhi came out like gangbusters man lmao no suspension, no contract void, a relatively small fine, and gets to go play for a different team while his old organization is turbo f**** LMAOOOOOO,” wrote @SnackPr0tein in another X post.
X user @OnyxOdds posted a video of Heath Ledger’s Joker character walking away from a hospital in The Dark Knight (2008) with the caption, “Kawhi leaving the Clippers after destroying the future of their franchise”.
Clippers fan account @RaptorsLead posted the iconic LeBron James “Smiling through it all! Can’t believe this my life” meme with the caption, “CLIPPERS LOSE 5 FIRSTS / STEVE BALLMER GETS A $30M FINE / KAWHI ISN’T SUSPENDED!!!!!”
It definitely seems like Leonard got a much longer stick than the Clippers. But Raptors fans clearly aren’t complaining.
Kawhi Leonard attends the match between Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Naomi Osaka of Japan during the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Getty Images
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 forward responded.
Kawhi Leonard statement on Clippers punishments
“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family," the statement read via ESPN's Shams Charania.
"I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone's part to circumvent the salary cap. For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate."
What are Clippers fines, punishments?
The Clippers are being fined a staggering $30 million, and the team will forfeit five first-round picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA drafts. Leonard has been fined $700,000, payable to the NBA, and the league is also suspending Ballmer, the team's owner, from all league activities for one year.
According to the release, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association "have entered into an agreement confirming these penalties are final and binding on all parties."
This comes after a recent ESPN report indicated that the league's investigation had found no evidence linking Ballmer to the alleged scheme. The NBA pushed back against that report, citing "significant inaccuracies."
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.
Ballmer, general managers Lawrence Frank and president of business operations Gillian Zucker also received suspensions. Leonard will pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits involving his uncle and former business representative Dennis Robertson, but he will not be suspended and his contract will remain intact.
Steve Ballmer, owner of the LA Clippers, pumps up the crowd before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. Getty Images
Meanwhile, Robertson has been banned from NBA business dealings.
It is a staggering package of penalties — and one that immediately belongs in the conversation with the harshest front-office punishments in league history.
Here are the the most severe penalties the NBA has ever handed down until now.
Malice at the Palace – 2004
The NBA’s response to the 2004 “Malice at the Palace” remains one of the broadest disciplinary actions in league history.
Nine players were suspended for a combined 146 games, including Ron Artest for the remainder of the season and playoffs. Artest and teammate Stephen Jackson went into the stands and inexplicably fought fans.
The fallout also reshaped league policy. The NBA tightened arena security, created larger buffers between players and fans, imposed stricter limits on alcohol sales and formalized a fan code of conduct.
The incident also helped usher in broader efforts to regulate player conduct and presentation, including the league’s dress code the following season.
Timberwolves — Joe Smith scandal, 2000
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Joe Smith, right, is pressured by Los Angeles Lakers forward Robert Horry Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, in Minneapolis. AP
Minnesota secretly arranged future contracts with Smith in an attempt to circumvent the salary cap and preserve his Bird rights.
The NBA responded by initially stripping the Timberwolves of five first-round picks, fining the organization $3.5 million and voiding Smith’s contract. Owner Glen Taylor was suspended and Kevin McHale temporarily stepped away from basketball operations.
Two picks were eventually restored, but the original five-pick penalty became the gold standard for how seriously the league viewed cap circumvention.
The Clippers now match that initial draft punishment — while absorbing a far larger financial hit.
Suns — Robert Sarver, 2022
Sarver was suspended for one year and fined $10 million following an investigation into workplace misconduct.
At the time, that fine was massive. Ballmer’s reported $30 million penalty is three times larger.
Clippers — Donald Sterling, 2014
V. Stiviano, left, and Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, right, watch the Clippers play the Sacramento Kings during an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Monday, Oct. 20, 2014. A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit by Stiviano against the estranged wife of the former Los Angeles Clippers owner. AP
Sterling still owns the most extreme individual punishment.
After racist comments became public, commissioner Adam Silver banned him from the NBA for life, fined him $2.5 million and set in motion the process that eventually led to the sale of the Clippers.
Mavericks — workplace scandal, 2018
An independent investigation into the Mavericks uncovered widespread workplace misconduct and serious failures in the organization’s handling of complaints.
Owner Mark Cuban agreed to contribute $10 million to organizations supporting women’s leadership and combating domestic violence, while Dallas implemented sweeping workplace reforms.
The Joe Smith case remains the clearest historical precedent, but the Clippers’ punishment is broader in some ways: five first-rounders, a record-sized financial hit and multiple executive suspensions.
That puts this ruling in exceedingly rare company.
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.
Adam Silver has thrown the book at Ballmer and the Clippers. The NBA released its findings and penalties, and it hits the Clippers hard:
• The Clippers forfeit five first-round draft picks (2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033).
• The Clippers are fined $30 million.
• Owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from "all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA's circumvention rules."
• Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended for one year without pay.
• Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months.
• Kawhi Leonard must pay the league $700,000.
• Leonard's already-fired business manager, Dennis Robertson (better known as "Uncle Dennis"), is banned from conducting NBA business for five years.
Both the NBA and NBPA have agreed on the details and punishments involving Leonard, which means there is no arbitration case coming — that is only for the players, not the franchise, and the players' union signed off on this (which means, ultimately, that Leonard did).
Leonard does not face a suspension or voiding of his contract, only the fine. That means the trade that would send him to Toronto for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick likely goes through in the coming weeks.
"The NBA's collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers' institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations."
The report, compiled by the law firm of Wachtell Lipton, found that the Clippers:
• Initiated and helped facilitate endorsements and off-court income opportunities between Mr. Leonard and four companies doing business with the team: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance.
• The Clippers induced "the companies to enter into these agreements by offering them business from the team."
• The Clippers paid "personal expenses on behalf of Leonard and his representatives" and failed "to report improper solicitations for off-court income opportunities made on Mr. Leonard's behalf through his then-business manager, Dennis Robertson."
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sits on the sidelines before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Intuit Dome on March 16. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The NBA handed down sweeping penalties to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, team executives, the team and 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.
The NBA issued the following sanctions after a third-party probe determined Ballmer invested $60 million in a now-defunct company that in turn agreed to pay Leonard $28 million for endorsements he never fulfilled:
The Clippers are forfeiting first-round draft picks, one apiece in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA drafts.
The Clippers are fined $30 million.
Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for “knowingly seeking to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.”
Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year for “being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.”
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months for “his involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Mr. Leonard and his family.”
The Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.
Leonard is required to pay the league $700,000.
Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle and previous business manager, is banned from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee or other league or team personnel for a period of five years.
The Clippers said in a statement they cooperated fully with the investigation and will fight “to demonstrate our innocence.”
“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team statement read. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner [Adam] Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.”
”... We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”
Leonard issued a statement denying knowledge of the salary cap violations.
“I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family,” Leonard’s statement read. “I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.
“For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
The findings announced Wednesday were the result of a nearly yearlong investigation conducted by Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, a high-powered New York law firm the NBA frequently uses when attempting to determine off-the-court wrongdoing by team owners, players or referees.
The probe was triggered when the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast aired an episode Sept. 3, 2025, detailing the contract Leonard received from Aspiration, a self-described “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm.
The deal with Leonard came to light in Aspiration’s bankruptcy documents. Joseph Sanberg, co-founder of the company, pleaded guilty in October to federal charges of conspiring to bilk investors out of $248 million and on June 1 was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.
One of the primary investors in Aspiration was Ballmer, the former longtime CEO of Microsoft whose estimated net worth is $139 billion. He has owned the Clippers since 2014.
Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021. A month later, the Clippers announced a $300-million sponsorship deal with the company. Ballmer nearly granted Aspiration naming rights to the team’s new $2-billion arena, but instead chose financial services firm Intuit.
Two years later when Aspiration was experiencing severe financial difficulties, Ballmer invested an additional $10 million and Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong — Ballmer’s former college roommate — invested $1.99 million in Aspiration nine days before Leonard received a $1.75 million payment from the company. Leonard was paid $21 million of the $28 million agreed upon in his contract with Aspiration.
Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors on June 30 for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a slew of draft picks, but the deal was put on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. Leonard led the Raptors to the NBA championship in 2019.
Leonard would not talk about the allegations during the 2025-26 NBA season because the investigation was ongoing and brushed it off during media day in September.
“None of us did ... wrongdoing and, yeah, that’s it,” he said. “We invite the investigation.”
Asked if he performed any endorsement work for Aspiration, Leonard said, “I understand the full contract and services that I had to do. Like I said, I don’t deal with conspiracies or the click-bait analysts or journalism that’s going on.”
Torre reported in July that the investigation grew in scope to examine whether Leonard had a previously unreported endorsement deal with Daktronics — the scoreboard manufacturer for the Intuit Dome — with sources alleging it was used to funnel money. Questions also arose about whether the Clippers were properly reimbursed for Leonard’s expenses.
ESPN reported Aug. 17 that NBA investigators had met with Ballmer and other Clippers officials in an attempt to agree to findings before the case went to arbitration. Although ESPN wrote that three sources told reporters the NBA found no evidence showing Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Leonard to circumvent the salary cap, the NBA immediately pushed back, releasing a statement that read “ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation — for which the NBA declined to cooperate — contains numerous and significant inaccuracies. The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.”
In his only public comments since the accusation, Ballmer told ESPN in September that he was “conned” by Sanberg and Aspiration. He also said he knew nothing of the endorsement deal between the company and Leonard.
“We were done with Kawhi, we were done with Aspiration,” Ballmer said. “The deals were all locked and loaded. Then, they did request to be introduced to Kawhi, and under the rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved.”
Silver had to follow guidelines spelled out in the NBA collective bargaining agreement and could not unilaterally decide whether the Clippers would be punished and how severely.
Leading the investigation was Wachtell Lipton partner David B. Andersk, a renowned lawyer first retained by the NBA in 2007 when the FBI investigated referee Tim Donaghy for allegedly betting on games he officiated.
Anders also headed Wachtell investigations in 2014 into the alleged use of racially charged language by former Clippers owner Donald Sterling and then-Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson. Seven years later, he investigated alleged racist and misogynistic behavior by then-Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver.
More recently, Wachtell investigated allegations that veteran point guard Terry Rozier took himself out of a game so gamblers could win bets on his performance. Federal prosecutors later charged Rozier. It was also Anders and Wachtell who determined that former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter placed illegal bets.
Proven incidents of teams circumventing the salary cap are few, with a violation by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 the most egregious.
The Timberwolves made a secret agreement with free agent and former No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Smith, signing him to below-market one-year deals to enable the team to not go over the cap with a huge contract ahead of the 2001-02 season.
The NBA voided his contract, fined the Timberwolves $3.5 million, and stripped them of five first-round draft picks — two of which were later returned. Also, owner Glen Taylor and general manager Kevin McHale were suspended.
Ballmer cannot wipe his hands clean of Aspiration quite yet. He was added as a defendant in a civil lawsuit against Sanberg and others associated with Aspiration — renamed Catona Climate in 2025 just before the bankruptcy filing — brought by 11 investors in the company. Ballmer and other defendants are accused of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud, with the plaintiffs seeking at least $50 million in damages.
“Ballmer was the perfect deep-pocket partner to fund Catona’s flagging operations and lend legitimacy to Catona’s carbon credit business,” says the amended complaint viewed by The Times. “Since Ballmer had publicly promoted himself as an advocate for sustainability, Catona was an ideal vehicle for Ballmer to secretly circumvent the NBA salary cap while purporting to support the company as a legitimate environmentalist investor.”
Kawhi Leonard signed for the Clippers in 2019. Photograph: Matt Slocum/AP
The NBA has handed down one of the biggest punishments in the history of the league to the Los Angeles Clippers after finding that the franchise circumvented salary cap rules when it courted Kawhi Leonard as a free agent.
The league has stripped the team of five first-round draft picks, giving the team no natural pick in the draft from 2029 through 2033.
The NBA also fined the Clippers $30m, and suspended owner Steve Ballmer from all league and team activities for a year. In addition, it issued suspensions without pay to president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank (six months) and president of business operations Gillian Zucker (one year) for their involvement in the scheme.
Leonard was also fined $700,000. The Clippers agreed to trade the seven-time All-Star to the Toronto Raptors earlier this summer, but the deal had been put on hold pending the completion of the NBA’s investigation. Leonard is due to make $50m in salary this season, while Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, has an estimated wealth of $152.7bn, according to Forbes.
“The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”
In a statement through his agent, Leonard said he took “full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family. I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”
The Clippers said they would challenge the investigation’s findings “through every avenue available to us” and looked “forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process”.
“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the team said in a statement. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.
“For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence.”
Torre, citing legal documents, claimed Ballmer employed Leonard for a nonexistent role in a company Ballmer had invested in to circumvent the NBA salary cap, which punishes teams for spending too much on player salaries.
Torre claims that Ballmer partly funded a now defunct tree-planting company called Aspiration. That company then allegedly entered into a $28m agreement with KL2 Aspire, LLC, a company owned by Leonard.
Torre says he could find no evidence that Leonard ever performed any work for Aspiration, and there was a clause in the contract between KL2 Aspire and Aspiration effectively allowed Leonard to be paid even if he did no work. Another clause said the deal would be voided if Leonard left the Clippers. One former employee of Aspiration told Torre he had heard the deal with Leonard had been set up to “circumvent the salary cap.”
Wachtell Lipton’s report concluded that the Clippers broke NBA rules after “initiating off-court income opportunities between Mr Leonard and four companies doing business with the team: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance; facilitating endorsement agreements between these companies and Mr Leonard; inducing the companies to enter into these agreements by offering them business from the team; paying personal expenses on behalf of Mr Leonard and his representatives; and failing to report improper solicitations for off-court income opportunities made on Mr Leonard’s behalf through his then-business manager, Dennis Robertson.”
Leonard is one of the best players of his generation. The 35-year-old is a two-time NBA champion and was twice the league’s defensive player of the year. He started his career with the San Antonio Spurs before spells with the Raptors and Clippers.
Leonard led the Clippers to the Western Conference finals in the 2020-21 season but they have failed to get beyond the first round of the playoffs since and missed the postseason entirely in 2025-26.
