The NBA has suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year after concluding that the team circumvented the league’s salary cap rules through ‘no-show’ endorsement deals involving Kawhi Leonard.
The league announced the findings of its 11-month investigation on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The Clippers were ordered to pay $30 million and will forfeit five first-round picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA drafts.
The NBA found that the Clippers facilitated endorsement agreements for Leonard that did not involve actual work. The arrangements allowed the team to provide off-court income outside Leonard’s standard contract, the league concluded.
Salary cap rules are designed to prevent teams from improperly increasing a player’s compensation outside standard contracts. The NBA said the Clippers had violated its rules on salary cap circumvention in relation to Leonard, one of the team’s star players.
Leonard was fined $700,000, payable to the NBA, but avoided suspension. The league said he violated salary cap rules through the conduct of his business manager, who pressured the Clippers to help him obtain off-court income opportunities.
Two Clippers executives were also suspended.
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