Category: Basketball

The entire salary cap circumvention case against Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers rests on this premise: Kawhi Leonard had a "no-show" endorsement contract with Clippers' sponsor Aspiration. That endorsement paid him $48 million ($28 million in payments, $20 million in now worthless stock options) but there is no evidence he did any promotional work for the company (no appearances, no marketing, no posts on social media).

Andrei Cherny, the former CEO of Aspiration, released a statement pushing back on the idea that Leonard had a "no-show" contract — the endorsement contract listed things he had to do — and said there was never a discussion of the NBA salary cap during discussions of the contract. He added that the much-discussed "beliefs" clause in Leonard's contract — that he couldn't be forced to do anything he didn't believe in — is standard in celebrity contracts and does not apply to things like talking to the camera or posting on social media.

Two things can be true. As Cherny noted, Leonard's endorsement contract had specific provisions he had to fulfill — one eight-hour "day of work," making five social media posts (including retweets) over the course of a year, and more.

Also true: There is no evidence he ever did any of that work. Yet the checks kept coming.

What the Clippers can argue — and what might give the other owners pause when it comes time to punish Los Angeles — is that it is not their job to police players' endorsement contracts. The Clippers can claim they were not in any way involved with what Leonard did or did not do with Aspiration. Both the other owners and the players' union are going to be hesitant to set a precedent where the team has to monitor endorsement deals.

Ballmer and the Clippers have vehemently denied any wrongdoing, with Ballmer saying he was "duped" by Aspiration and its founder, like many other investors. He and the Clippers have repeatedly said they had nothing to do with Leonard's endorsement deals.

Still, it's hard for the Clippers and Ballmer to pass the smell test considering the totality of the evidence, including investments with Aspiration. Ballmer made a personal $50 million investment in Aspiration in 2021, and months later Leonard had an endorsement contract with the company that ultimately was worth $48 million. In December 2022, after it became clear that Aspiration was failing, Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong made a $2 million investment in the company. Shortly thereafter, Leonard received a delayed $1.75 million endorsement contract check. In March of 2023, when things were bad at Aspiration and it was struggling to make payroll, Ballmer made another $10 million investment.

From Commissioner Adam Silver and the league's perspective, the bar is high to prove the Clippers tried to circumvent the cap.
Silver said this week that the burden of proof is on the league — which has hired a law firm to do its investigation as a third, neutral party — and that he "would be reluctant to act if there was sort of a mere appearance of impropriety."

Expect the NBA's investigation to drag out into the NBA season, a cloud that will hang over the league even as play tips off.

Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer's defense in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention and “no show” endorsement scandal has been "plausible deniability." Ballmer said he was “duped” like other investors when he put $50 million into the green bank company Aspiration (a company that had become a $300 million Clippers team sponsor back in 2021, but now is bankrupt with its CEO pleading guilty to fraud). Ballmer noted that the Clippers ended their team sponsor relationship with Aspiration after it defaulted on its obligations, and said both he and the team knew nothing about Leonard's $48 million endorsement deal with Aspiration ($28 million in cash, the rest in stock) other than that it existed. Ballmer vehemently denied the charge that the Clippers used Leonard's Aspiration endorsement to circumvent the NBA salary cap.

That argument is becoming increasingly difficult to believe.

After a detailed initial report came a second one from the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast (which broke the story initially) that Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong invested $2 million into Aspiration late in 2022 — when the company was failing and struggling to make payroll — and a week later Leonard got a delayed $1.75 million quarterly endorsement check.

Now comes a report that Ballmer made a second, $10 million investment in Aspiration in March, 2023, despite it being clear at that point the company was failing and headed toward bankruptcy. The report comes from Mike Vorkunov at The Athletic.

In March 2023, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested almost $10 million into financial technology and sustainability services company Aspiration, according to legal filings reviewed by The Athletic and corroborated by a former Aspiration executive...

Ballmer's 2023 investment was part of a fundraising round made up almost entirely of previous Aspiration investors, with Wong being the lone exception. The company hoped to raise $75 million in fresh money but came up nearly $9 million short.

What is not known is when the payments on Leonard's endorsement stopped. He is a creditor in Aspiration's bankruptcy, seeking $7 million he is still owed.

Ballmer and the Clippers have not commented on the latest allegations, but their defense is likely the same: Ballmer was making a personal investment (and not a big one for Ballmer, who Forbes estimates is worth $153 billion), hoping to prop up the company and recoup his original investment, that this had nothing to do with Leonard.

This latest report is another wave in the tsunami of evidence that the Clippers used Aspiration to funnel extra money to Leonard outside his standard contract — maybe it's all circumstantial evidence, at least what we see publicly, but it's not hard to connect these dots. It's short, straight lines between these dots.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that the burden of proof is on the league — which has hired a law firm to do its investigation as a third, neutral party — and that he "would be reluctant to act if there was sort of a mere appearance of impropriety."

It feels like more than an appearance now, the buzz in league circles is that many owners feel the same way, which means Silver is going to have to bring the hammer down on the Clippers (likely taking away future first-round draft picks, fining the Clippers up to $7.5 million, suspending team executives, and he could potentially void Leonard's contract, although that last one is unlikely).

The NBA's formal investigation is ongoing and likely will drag out for a while.

In a result that feels in sync with what is going on in the NBA, it's the young generation of stars — Orlando's Franz Wagner with Germany and Houston's Alperen Sengun with Turkiye — who have led their teams to the EuroBasket Finals. Not Giannis Antetokounmpo, not Nikola Jokic, not Luka Doncic, and not Lauri Markkanen.

In the first semifinal match on Friday, Wagner had 22 points, while Sacramento's Dennis Schröder added 26 points and 12 assists to lift Germany past Finland.

As good as Germany's offense was, it was its defense on Markkanen that was the difference. One of the best players in this tournament, the Utah big man who has sparked a basketball frenzy in Finland, was held to 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.

In the second game it was the same theme — Turkiye triple-teamed Antetokounmpo on his drives limiting him to 12 points on 13 shots. Without his spark, it wasn't much of a game as Turkiye cruised to a 94-68 win.

Ercan Osmani led Turkiye with 28 points, and it was another impressive game for Sengun who had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the hub of the Turkish offense. Sengun has had a monster EuroBasket.

Turkiye and Germany face off Sunday for the EuroBasket title. Expect a close game between the two 8-0 teams, Germany and Turkey played a friendly before EuroBasket, which Germany won in a close one, 73-71.

Adam Silver would like that phrasing back.

Silver has faced criticism in recent days for a quote that came off as tone deaf to fans. When asked on Wednesday about the expense of being an NBA fan — from the cost of attending games to the need for fans to subscribe to multiple streaming services to watch all their team's games — the quote pulled out of Silver's answer was cold.

"There's a huge amount of our content that people essentially consume for free. This is very much a highlights-based sport, so Instagram, TikTok, Twitter [now X]... YouTube, another example that is advertising based that consumers can consume," Silver said.

Silver misses the mark in a couple of places in that clip. First, there's the "Hey fans, if you can't afford the streaming services just go to social media" vibe that is not what fans want to hear. Second, the NBA just secured a massive new television deal because of its value to streaming services; telling fans they can look elsewhere is not what the league's partners want to hear.

But Silver's comment was not nearly as bad as it was made out to be. Mark Cuban even defended him.

First, Silver was not wrong — for a younger generation of fans, highlights on social media (and clips of debate about the league) is how they consume the NBA. They are less likely to sit down in front of a television (or at a bar) to watch regular season NBA games. The league must adapt to ensure it still reaches those fans.

Also, Silver's comments about the cost are not so harsh when read in the full context of his response. Silver is not someone who speaks in clips, he gives long, thoughtful answers, ones often couched in legal phrases (he is a lawyer, after all). In the full quote, Silver's answer doesn't sound cold.

"[The reporter] took all the different streaming services and added them up and what those costs would be. I look at it a little bit differently, because most people can only consume so many games," Silver said. "By way of one example, in these new media deals, we're going from essentially 15 exposures on broadcast television to 75. So to the extent someone wants to put little rabbit ears on their television, you can still get 75 marquee games in essence for free in the marketplace...

"Because of the disruption in the regional sports network business — I never would have predicted this was coming 10 years ago — but a lot of our local games are moving back to broadcast television. In fact, we have more games on broadcast television locally than we've had anytime in recent history."

Streaming services also appear to be the future of the broadcast industry, which is why NBC will have games on Peacock — every game nationally broadcast on NBC will also be streamed on Peacock, plus there will be exclusive Monday night games on Peacock. The value the NBA provides in bringing in viewers is why Amazon Prime will also carry games.

The NBA's larger concern is helping viewers know where to tune in to watch games on a given night.

Of course, fans can always still catch the highlights on TikTok.

This is what teams fear when their players lace it up for their home country.

Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has undergone surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, which he suffered while playing for France at EuroBasket. Recovery from the surgery will likely have Coulibaly out for the start of the regular season.

Coulibaly isn't the only Wizard who was injured playing for France at EuroBasket, center Alex Sarr also had to leave the tournament after injuring his calf. France, the silver medal winners just a couple of years ago at the Paris Olympics, was eliminated from EuroBasket after an upset loss to Georgia in the round of 16.

Coulibaly is part of a young core with potential in Washington, and last season he averaged 12.3 points and five rebounds a game. While he brings some defense and playmaking to the table, Coulibaly needs to be a more efficient shooter to really make a mark — he shot just 28.1% from 3 for the Wizards last season, and that didn't appear to improve over the summer as he was 3-of-14 from beyond the arc at EuroBasket.

Missing training camp and the start of the season is not ideal for a developing young player, but once healthy and able to return to the court Coulibaly will get plenty of run and opportunity as the Wizards try to grow their young core.

The Knicks have added quality point guard depth in a deal with former Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. However, to keep him another move — possibly a trade — has to happen.

The Knicks and Brogdon have agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN via Brogdon's agent, and has since been confirmed by multiple other reports.

Brogdon, 32, is entering his 10th NBA season and averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists with the Wizards. Plus, he is a career 38.8% shooter from beyond the arc. New Knicks coach Mike Brown will want to lean into that shooting and Brogdon's playmaking skills — he was the Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 — in a point guard rotation behind Jalen Brunson with Miles McBride.

This signing comes one day after the Knicks signed wing Landry Shamet to a contract. The problem for New York is that it is hard capped at the second apron of the luxury tax and is up against that number — it can't keep both Shamet and Brogdon as the roster is currently constructed.

First, the Knicks likely will be patient heading into training camp to make sure Brogdon is healthy — he played just 24 games in Washington last season and has played in less than 40 for three of the past four seasons. If he is not, this is a non-guaranteed contract and a cruel business.

However, the expectation is that the Knicks will make a trade, moving one of the other guaranteed contracts on the roster, to clear out the space to keep both Brogdon and Shamet, something suggested by the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. This has the vibes of already being in the works because Brogdon had options and he wasn't going to take a non-guaranteed offer — even from a contender like the Knicks — over guaranteed money unless there was an understanding he wasn't going anywhere. New York doesn't have to rush into a move, they can make it during training camp, but something is coming.

With that, expect Brogdon to be a Knick on opening night.

The 2025 WNBA Playoffs tips off on Sunday, September 14 with an all-day quadruple-header beginning at 1 p.m. ET and running through the afternoon until the final game starts at 10 p.m. ET.

The top eight teams make for the WNBA playoffs based on overall standings rather than by conference. Prior to 2022, the postseason featured a format in which the top two seeds received first-round byes and the opening rounds included single-elimination games.

Beginning in 2022, the league adopted a new format which eliminated byes and single-elimination rounds. The playoffs now consist of three rounds, with each round played as a series.

Teams advancing from the first round play in the semifinals, and those who win their semifinal series move on to the WNBA Finals, which for the first time in league history will be a best-of-seven series.

Below is your official guide for following the 2025 WNBA postseason, which will feature the most postseason games in the league’s 29-year history.

How long do the 2025 WNBA playoffs run?

The WNBA playoffs begin with the first round on Sunday, September 14 and runs through Friday, September 19 when the third games, if necessary, will be played.

The semifinals begin on Sunday, September 21 and that best-of-five series runs until Tuesday, September 30 with both game-fives scheduled on that Tuesday.

The WNBA Finals begin on Friday, October 3 and run through Friday, October 17, which provides the final two teams standing two weeks exactly to battle through the final series if the first seven-game series in league history does indeed go the distance.

Which teams are in the 2025 WNBA playoffs?

Minnesota Lynx (34-10)

Las Vegas Aces (30-14)

Atlanta Dream (30-14)

Phoenix Mercury (27-17)

New York Liberty (27-17)

Indiana Fever (24-20)

Seattle Storm (23-21)

Golden State Valkyries (23-21)

Has WNBA playoff seeding been determined?

Yes, at last! Although the seeding came down to the wire with only the Lynx (No.1 seed), Mercury (No. 4 seed) and Liberty (No.5 seed) with their seeding locked in before the final evening of the regular season on Thursday.

Following the Aces’ 103-75 win over the Sparks, A’ja Wilson and company earned the No.2 seed and the Dream slid down to the No. 3 seed. While the two teams have the same record to end the season, the Aces had the tiebreaker by winning the season series against the Dream 3-0.

The Lynx will avoid playing the Storm, a team that had their number twice during the regular season. By defeating the Valkyries 72-53 on Thursday night, the Lynx instead will play the Valkyries in the first round. As a result, the Fever earned the No.6 seed and will face the Dream while the Storm slot into the No. 7 seed to play the Aces.

Although the Storm and Valkyries have the same exact records to end the season, the Storm have the 3-1 tiebreaker over the Valkyries thanks to Tuesday night’s nail-biting 74-73 win, which clinched their playoff berth.

What does the WNBA playoff bracket look like?

First Round

• No. 1 seed Lynx vs. No. 8 seed Valkyries 
• No. 2 seed Aces vs. No. 7 seed Storm 
• No. 3 seed Dream vs. No. 6 seed Fever
• No. 4 seed Mercury vs. No. 5 seed Liberty 

Semifinal Round

• The winner of Lynx vs. Valkyries plays the winner of Mercury vs. Liberty
• The winner of Aces vs. Storm plays the winner of Dream vs. Fever
  

WNBA Finals

The winners of the two semifinals series face each other in the best-of-seven WNBA Finals, the first seven-game series in league history. In a seven-game series, the first team to four wins will be crowned as the 2025 WNBA Champions.

How does home-court advantage work throughout each round?

Homecourt advantage goes to the team who had the best regular season record. In the first round the top four seeds have home court advantage which means Game 1 and Game 3 (if necessary) of the first round are played in the arena of the team with home court.

The semifinals begin with the first two games played at the arena of the team with the better regular season record and higher seeding. Games 3 and 4 if necessary are played at the team’s arena without homecourt advantage and then Game 5 if necessary returns to the same place where Games 1 and 2 were played.

The WNBA Finals will begin with the first two games being played at the team with the homecourt advantage followed by game 3 and 4 being played in the other team’s arena. But then games 5, 6 and 7 all if necessary will be played in a 1-1-1 format where the higher seed will host games 5 and 7 in addition to games 1 and 2.

What is the WNBA Postseason schedule?

First Round

Sunday, Sept. 14

• Game 1: Lynx vs. Valkyries at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 1: Fever vs. Dream at 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
• Game 1: Liberty vs. Mercury at 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 1: Storm vs. Aces at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Tuesday, Sept. 16

• Game 2: Dream vs. Fever at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 2: Aces vs. Storm at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Wednesday, Sept. 17

• Game 2: Mercury vs. Liberty 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 2: Valkyries vs. Lynx at 10:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Thursday, Sept. 18

• Game 3^: Fever vs. Dream 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Game 3^: Storm vs. Aces 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Friday, Sept. 19

• Game 3^: Lynx vs. Valkyries 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Game 3^: Mercury vs. Liberty 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

^ If necessary

Semifinals

Sunday, Sept. 21

• Game 1: 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
• Game 1: 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Tuesday, Sept. 23

• Game 2: 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 2: 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Friday, Sept. 26

• Game 3: 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Game 3: 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Sunday, Sept. 28

• Game 4^: 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
• Game 4^: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Tuesday, Sept. 30

• Game 5^: 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
• Game 5^: 10: 00 p.m. ET  (ESPNU)
  

^ If necessary

WNBA Finals

Friday, Oct. 3

• Game 1: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Sunday, Oct. 5

• Game 2: 3 p.m. ET (ABC)

Wednesday, Oct. 8

• Game 3: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Friday, Oct. 10

• Game 4: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Sunday, Oct. 12

• Game 5^: 3 p.m. ET (ABC)

Wednesday, Oct. 15

• Game 6^: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Friday, Oct. 17

• Game 7^: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

^ If necessary

How do coaches’ challenges work during the WNBA playoffs?

They will work the same way they do during the regular season. A coach’s challenge is when a coach calls a timeout and then signals for it by twirling an index finger.

A coach can use as many as two challenges during a game. If a coach uses a challenge and then wins their challenge, they receive another timeout in addition to another challenge. If the call isn’t overturned and the coach’s challenge is unsuccessful, the team who called the challenge loses a timeout and doesn’t get a second opportunity to challenge at any other point throughout the game.

What does overtime look like during the WNBA playoffs?

For all WNBA games, overtime periods are five extra minutes, and each team receives two timeouts during the five minute periods in addition to a reset timeout.

Just like in regulation and in particular in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, teams can call a reset timeout which is when a team advances the ball to mid-court to make substitutions. No huddles are allowed. These reset timeouts can be taken during the final two minutes of any overtime period.

While no longer the target of it, Malik Beasley remains a subject in a wide-ranging gambling investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York (the one that led to a lifetime ban of Raptors guard Jontay Porter). Part of the focus of that investigation is on some games Beasley played while with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024, and prop bets around his play in those games.

The NBA is also investigating the matter, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday.

"I'll only say there that the investigation is ongoing," Silver said following the league's Board of Governors meeting in New York. "As I understand it, there's still a federal investigation that's ongoing of Malik Beasley as well. We will address whatever is presented to us in his case."

Beasley has not been charged in relation to the federal investigation and is no longer its central focus, a fact his agent has repeatedly emphasized. Beasley is fully cooperating with the investigation as well, according to his attorney.

While true, because Beasley remains a subject in that investigation — which could still lead to charges — and could face discipline from the league, no team has gone near him in free agency. Back before the start of free agency (and before news of the investigation broke), Beasley was reportedly in discussions about re-signing in Detroit for around three years, $42 million. Now, even if he were cleared of all charges tomorrow, no team has that kind of cap space left to spend. Detroit moved on and added Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson to fill Beasley's role.

Beasley had a large role in Detroit. He averaged 16.3 points a game while shooting 41.6% on 3-pointers for the Pistons last season, and he finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He'd be the best free agent on the market, but until these investigations are wrapped up, teams may express interest but will stay at arm's length.

The Knicks considered other options, including Ben Simmons. Landry Shamet had other offers from teams looking for bench depth.

In the end, they decided to get back together, with Shamet agreeing to a one-year veteran minimum contract to return to New York, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. Ian Begley of SNY.TV confirmed this, and he added details.

Shamet averaged 5.7 points across 50 games for the Knicks last season, while shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc.

Shamet joins a fairly deep guard rotation, one that new coach Mike Brown is going to trust and use more than Tom Thibodeau did. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are expected to start at the guard spots, with Miles "Duece" McBride and newcomer Jordan Clarkson behind them. Shamet will be fighting for minutes behind that foursome, along with Tyler Kolek.