Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year by the NBA, and the team has been ordered to forfeit five first-round draft picks and pay a $30 million fine for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving Kawhi Leonard. The announcement was made on Wednesday following a nearly year-long investigation led by an outside law firm.
Key Penalties
- Steve Ballmer: 1-year suspension
- Lawrence Frank (president of basketball operations): 6-month ban
- Gillian Zucker (team president of business operations): 1-year suspension
- Kawhi Leonard: $700,000 penalty
The Clippers had maintained their innocence throughout the investigation, asserting that they had done nothing wrong. In a statement, the team said,
“"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 also expressed their intention to challenge the findings and penalties, stating,
“"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."
