NBA suspends Clippers owner and strips team of draft picks
The league fined the Los Angeles Clippers $30 million, suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year and removed five first-round draft picks after finding the franchise violated salary-cap and endorsement rules involving star Kawhi Leonard.
The NBA announced Wednesday that the Los Angeles Clippers will pay a $30 million fine and lose five first-round draft selections after an investigation concluded the team circumvented league salary-cap rules. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year from all league and team activities, and two senior executives received suspensions without pay.
"I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
The investigation, conducted by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found that the Clippers facilitated off-court endorsement deals for Leonard with companies that also did business with the team, and that the franchise paid personal expenses for Leonard and his representatives. Leonard was ordered to repay $700,000 and his uncle, who acted on his behalf, was banned from dealing with NBA teams for five years.
"Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. 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 through his agent.
The Clippers issued a statement rejecting the findings, calling the investigation biased and pledging to challenge the penalties through arbitration. The league said compliance with the sanctions will be monitored for the next five years.