NBA fines Clippers $30 million, strips five first-round picks and suspends owner

The NBA announced Wednesday that the Los Angeles Clippers will lose their first-round selections in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 and will be fined $30 million after investigators concluded the team helped star forward Kawhi Leonard secure off-court income in violation of salary-cap rules. Owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension, while team president Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months and business operations chief Gillian Zucker for one year.

The league said Ballmer knowingly approved a sponsorship arrangement with Aspiration because it was a precondition for the company’s deal with Leonard. The investigation found the Clippers created a “novel theory” that introducing business partners to players was permissible if requested, a rationale the NBA rejected.

"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," Leonard said in a statement, adding he entered his contracts in good faith and is focused on moving forward with the Toronto Raptors.

Leonard was ordered to repay $700,000 to the NBA, and his uncle Dennis Robertson received a five-year ban from NBA team interactions. The NBA’s report noted that the Clippers facilitated endorsement deals for Leonard with four companies—Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance—and that further information may emerge as the investigation continues.

"The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, expressing disappointment with the violations and the organization’s leadership failures.