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NBA suspends Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and strips five draft picks over salary cap violations

The league issued a $30 million team fine, executive bans, and a $700,000 penalty for Kawhi Leonard following an investigation into improper off-court income deals.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 22:19 UTC6 reports

The short version

  • The NBA penalized the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing salary cap rules through improper off-court endorsements and personal expense arrangements tied to Kawhi Leonard.
  • Owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension, the organization was fined $30 million, and the team will forfeit first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033.
  • Top executives Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank received unpaid suspensions, and Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000.
  • The Clippers and team personnel will operate under a five-year league-monitored compliance program.

Key facts

  • The NBA suspended Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year after an investigation found he knowingly assisted Kawhi Leonard in obtaining improper off-court income opportunities.[CNBC · NBC News · Associated Press]
  • The Clippers were fined $30 million and ordered to forfeit five consecutive first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033.[The Guardian · CNBC · Fox News · Associated Press · CBS News]
  • President of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year without pay, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month unpaid suspension.[The Guardian · CNBC · NBC News]
  • Kawhi Leonard was ordered to pay a $700,000 penalty for pressuring the organization for off-court income deals and failing to reimburse payments made for personal expenses.[CNBC · NBC News · Associated Press]
  • An independent investigation by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz found the team facilitated deals with four commercial partners: Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance.[The Guardian · NBC News]
  • Leonard stated that he entered contracts in good faith without intent to circumvent rules, though he accepted responsibility for lapses in judgment by associates in his inner circle.[NBC News · Fox News · Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

  • The exact duration of Dennis Robertson's ban from conducting NBA business is reported differently across sources, described as a five-year ban in some accounts and a permanent bar in others.[NBC News · Fox News]

Sources