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NBA Suspends Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer, Fines Team $30M, Kawhi Leonard $700K/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ The NBA suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year and fined the franchise $30 million following a salary-cap circumvention investigation. The Clippers must forfeit five first-round draft picks, while Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000 and two senior executives received suspensions. The team rejected the findings and pledged to challenge the penalties, although the league said they are final and binding.

Quick Look

• Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year.
• The Clippers were fined $30 million.
• Los Angeles will lose one first-round pick annually from 2029 through 2033.
• Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000.
• Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months.
• Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year.
• Leonard’s uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, received a five-year ban.
• The franchise will undergo league compliance monitoring for five years.
• The investigation centered partly on Leonard’s $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration.
• The Clippers deny wrongdoing and plan to seek arbitration.
• Leonard’s proposed trade to Toronto had been awaiting the investigation’s outcome.

Deep Look

NBA Imposes Sweeping Penalties on Clippers

The NBA handed down extensive punishments against the Los Angeles Clippers after concluding that the organization violated rules intended to prevent teams from circumventing the league’s salary cap.

Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year, and the franchise received a $30 million fine. The Clippers must also surrender five consecutive first-round draft picks, forfeiting one selection in each draft from 2029 through 2033.

Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension, while business operations president Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year.

Frank and Zucker will not receive their salaries during their suspensions.

The penalties followed an investigation lasting nearly a year and conducted by an outside law firm.

Silver Cites ‘Flagrant Violations’

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the severity of the punishment reflected both the alleged misconduct and broader failures within the organization.

The NBA said the outside law firm continues to receive information connected to the matter and that the league “will consider further action as appropriate.”

The league also said it had agreed with the National Basketball Players Association that the penalties would be final and binding.

Clippers Reject Findings and Promise a Challenge

The Clippers strongly disputed the NBA’s conclusions and accused the league of conducting an unfair investigation.

Before the ruling, Leonard and Clippers officials had repeatedly predicted that the investigation would clear them.

Frank also defended the owner at the time.

Aspiration Endorsement Deal Was Central to Investigation

The NBA opened its investigation in September 2025 after journalist Pablo Torre reported on a $28 million endorsement agreement between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC.

Aspiration later filed for bankruptcy. Its co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, was sentenced this year to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

The league investigated whether Leonard’s endorsement contract represented an improper method of giving him additional compensation outside his playing contract.

According to the NBA, Ballmer knowingly sought to help Leonard secure off-court income opportunities. The league also alleged that Ballmer approved a business transaction that he understood was a condition for Aspiration to enter an endorsement agreement with Leonard.

The NBA further faulted Ballmer for failing to establish an organizational environment that ensured compliance with league regulations.

Ballmer’s Attorney Calls Investigation a ‘Witch Hunt’

The Clippers released a letter sent to Silver by Ballmer’s attorney, David Kelley, who described the investigation as “a witch hunt” and the penalties as a “gross injustice.”

Kelley accused the league of failing to uphold commitments to due process and fairness. He argued that NBA officials had acknowledged there was no agreement between the Clippers and Aspiration to channel money to Leonard.

Kelley maintained that league rules did not prohibit team personnel from introducing players to potential sponsors or vendors.

NBA Says Leonard Pressured Team for Income Opportunities

The NBA said Leonard violated its circumvention rules through the actions of his former business manager and uncle, Dennis Robertson.

According to the league, Robertson pressured the Clippers to help Leonard obtain income opportunities away from basketball. The NBA also accused Leonard of failing to reimburse the team for personal expenses paid on behalf of him and his family.

Leonard accepted responsibility for errors by those around him but denied knowingly participating in an attempt to evade the salary cap.

Robertson was barred from conducting business with NBA teams for five years.

Senior Clippers Executives Also Punished

The NBA penalized Frank for his role in the prohibited endorsement arrangements and for approving expenses involving Leonard and his family.

The league said Zucker was primarily and directly responsible for the improper endorsement arrangements and accused her of lying to investigators.

Beyond the individual penalties, the Clippers and their personnel will be subject to a five-year NBA compliance and monitoring program.

Leonard’s Toronto Trade Had Been on Hold

Leonard’s proposed trade to the Toronto Raptors had been delayed pending the investigation’s conclusion.

Toronto has indicated that it still wants Leonard, who helped the Raptors win the 2019 NBA championship and earned Finals MVP honors during that title run.

Leonard also appeared eager to return to the franchise.

Clippers Have Faced Previous NBA Penalty

This is not the first time the Clippers have been disciplined for violating league rules since Ballmer purchased the franchise for $2 billion in 2014.

In 2015, the NBA fined the team $250,000 for improperly offering unauthorized business or investment opportunities while recruiting free agent DeAndre Jordan.

A presentation made to Jordan included a proposed $200,000-per-year agreement with luxury automaker Lexus, which violated league restrictions.

Ballmer, 70, served as Microsoft’s chief executive from 2000 until 2014.

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