The LA Clippers have been hit with a record $30 million (£22.2 million) fine by the NBA after an investigation revealed the franchise violated salary cap rules to funnel millions of dollars to star player Kawhi Leonard.
The unprecedented fine—historically the largest in league history—follows a league report finding that Leonard pressured the Clippers into “obtaining off-court income opportunities [and] successfully obtaining those opportunities.”
The investigation was launched in September 2025 after podcast journalist Pablo Torre reported that a $28 million (£20.8 million) endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC potentially violated league rules.
As part of the league’s disciplinary actions, the Clippers will forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033. Additionally, team owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for 12 months due to his involvement in Leonard’s sponsorship contracts.
Two-time NBA champion Leonard himself has been fined $700,000 (£520,000) by the league.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed deep disappointment, calling the Clippers’ actions “flagrant violations” of league rules. “The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations,” Silver stated.
Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker has also been suspended for one year without pay for providing “misleading statements to investigators.”
The NBA’s month-long investigation concluded that the Clippers, a prior offender of salary-cap circumvention rules, engaged in “a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organisation.”
In response to the ruling, Leonard, 35, stated that he “accepts full responsibility” for his actions and “regrets the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”
“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” he wrote on Instagram.
Leonard, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, joined the Clippers in 2019 and spent seven years with the franchise before departing this year.
The league announced that the Clippers’ organization and personnel will be subject to a comprehensive compliance and monitoring program overseen by the NBA for the next five years.
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