The NBA has handed the Los Angeles Clippers a series of severe punishments following an investigation into alleged salary-cap circumvention involving star forward Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers have been ordered to forfeit five future first-round draft picks, from 2029 through 2033, while the franchise was also hit with a $30 million fine.
Owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all NBA and team activities for one year after the league found that he knowingly sought to help Leonard secure off-court business opportunities.
The NBA also suspended Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months without pay, while president of business operations Gillian Zucker received a one-year unpaid suspension.
The league said its nearly year-long investigation uncovered “a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations” by the Clippers, who had previously been punished for salary-cap violations.
Leonard was not suspended but was fined $700,000. The NBA said he violated its circumvention rules through actions involving his uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, including pressuring the Clippers to assist with off-court income opportunities and failing to reimburse the team for certain personal expenses.
The investigation began in September 2025 after reports emerged concerning a $28 million endorsement agreement between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a company that later filed for bankruptcy.
The Clippers strongly rejected the NBA’s findings and vowed to challenge the penalties through every available avenue.
“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings,” the team said, accusing the league of conducting a biased investigation based on a predetermined narrative.
Ballmer’s attorney, David Kelley, also described the investigation as a “witch hunt” and called the penalties a “gross injustice.”
The NBA, however, maintained that Ballmer approved a business arrangement that was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into the endorsement deal with Leonard and failed to ensure the organization complied with league rules.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the penalties reflected the seriousness of the violations.
“I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct,” Silver said.
The Clippers and Toronto Raptors had previously agreed to a trade involving Leonard, but the deal was held up while the investigation was ongoing. With the probe now concluded, the trade is expected to proceed.
Leonard said he accepted responsibility for lapses in judgment within his inner circle and was ready to move forward.
“For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with,” Leonard said. “As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
The Clippers will now be placed under a five-year league compliance and monitoring programme, while Robertson has been banned from doing business with NBA teams for the same period.
