NBA severely punishes Clippers for violations: five first-round picks confiscated, Ballmer receives one-year ban
ESPN senior reporter Shams Charania broke the major news on September 3 Beijing time. After a 12-month in-depth investigation, the NBA officially issued a severe penalty against the Los Angeles Clippers for violating salary cap rules in contract operations involving Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers not only had their first-round draft picks for the next five seasons confiscated, but were also fined as much as $30 million. Team owner Steve Ballmer and two executives were also suspended.
According to the league's final disciplinary decision, the five first-round picks the Clippers lost belong to the 2029 through 2033 NBA drafts, one per year, plus a $30 million fine. The severity of this penalty is rare among comparable cases in league history.
On the individual disciplinary front, Clippers owner Ballmer was ordered not to participate in any league or team-related affairs for one year. The official statement noted that Ballmer, despite knowing Leonard had an endorsement partnership with fintech company Aspiration, still approved a related transaction that effectively facilitated Leonard obtaining off-court income. In addition, he failed to establish an effective internal oversight mechanism to prevent the team from crossing the salary cap line. Clippers chief business operations officer Gillian Zucker was identified as the primary person responsible for the improper endorsement arrangement, receiving a one-year unpaid suspension, and she provided false or misleading statements to staff during the investigation. Basketball operations president Lawrence Frank was given a six-month unpaid suspension for participating in the improper endorsement and approving improper expenses for Leonard and his family.
As for the player himself, Leonard is required to return $700,000 arising from improper benefits the Clippers provided to his uncle Dennis Robertson (former business representative). Leonard's current contract is unaffected, and he will not face suspension. Of note, Robertson was fired by Leonard in June, but he has been banned by the NBA from participating in any league-related business activities.