NBA Suspends Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer for One Year
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer faces a one-year suspension from the NBA. The team must also forfeit five first-round draft picks and pay a fine of $30 million. These penalties are due to violations related to salary cap circumvention involving player Kawhi Leonard.
The president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, received a six-month ban. Team president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, was suspended for a year. Kawhi Leonard incurred a $700,000 penalty. The league took action after a year-long probe led by an independent law firm.
The Clippers consistently claimed innocence, even in light of the recent penalties. They issued a statement rejecting the NBA’s findings, criticizing the investigation as biased. “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 stated. They plan to challenge the findings and penalties through all available means.
The investigation began in September 2025 to determine if a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC breached league rules. Aspiration’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for defrauding investors and lenders of $248 million.
Kawhi Leonard acknowledged the situation’s impact on fans and his family. “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,” he stated. Leonard’s agent, Harrison Gaines, relayed the comments.
The NBA stated that Leonard, aided by his former manager, Dennis Robertson, sought the Clippers’ help acquiring off-court income. The league found he did not reimburse personal expenses paid by the Clippers.
Leonard maintains that he acted in good faith when contracting with the Clippers and did not know about any salary cap circumvention. His trade to the Toronto Raptors awaits resolution of this investigation. “As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate,” Leonard stated.