NBA Strips Clippers of 5 First-Round Picks, Fines Team $30 Million Over Kawhi Leonard Scheme
Updated
Updated · NBA.com · Sep 2
NBA Strips Clippers of 5 First-Round Picks, Fines Team $30 Million Over Kawhi Leonard Scheme
3 articles · Updated · NBA.com · Sep 2
Summary
Five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033, a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer headline NBA penalties against the Clippers for salary-cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard.
An independent Wachtell Lipton investigation found the team arranged off-court income opportunities with four business partners, facilitated endorsement deals, covered personal expenses and failed to report improper solicitations made through Leonard’s then-manager Dennis Robertson.
Leonard must pay the league $700,000 after the NBA said he, through Robertson, pressured the Clippers to secure those opportunities and did not reimburse improper expenses; Robertson was barred from NBA business for five years.
Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year and Lawrence Frank for six months, while the Clippers will operate under league compliance monitoring for five years and could face further action as the investigation continues.
Will the NBA's historic punishment of the Clippers trigger a massive antitrust lawsuit over players' rights to corporate endorsements?
How can the LA Clippers rebuild a championship roster after losing five crucial first-round draft picks in this unprecedented salary-cap scandal?
If introducing players to team sponsors is standard practice, which NBA franchise will be the next target of a secret circumvention probe?
$30 Million Fine, 5 Draft Picks Lost: How the Clippers’ Salary Cap Scandal Changed the NBA
Overview
The September 2026 NBA ruling against the Los Angeles Clippers began when journalist Pablo Torre exposed a $28 million 'no-show' endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration Partners. This triggered a yearlong investigation, which uncovered a complex scheme where the Clippers, led by owner Steve Ballmer, funneled extra compensation to Leonard through off-court business arrangements. The investigation was aided by Aspiration’s bankruptcy and the cooperation of its founder, Joseph Sanberg, who provided key evidence. As a result, the NBA imposed historic penalties: a $30 million fine, loss of five first-round draft picks, and suspensions for Ballmer and top executives. Leonard was fined but not suspended, and his trade to Toronto was cleared. The scandal also led to lawsuits against Ballmer and a five-year ban for Leonard’s uncle, marking a turning point in how the NBA polices salary cap circumvention.