The NBA handed the Los Angeles Clippers a $30 million fine and stripped five first-round draft picks after an investigation found violations of salary cap circumvention rules tied to player Kawhi Leonard.
The penalties include the forfeiture of the Clippers’ first-round selections in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA Drafts, along with a five-year compliance and monitoring program supervised by the league office. The league and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have signed a binding agreement confirming the sanctions are final.
Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000 after the investigation determined he violated circumvention rules through his representative’s conduct, pressured the Clippers for off-court income opportunities and failed to reimburse personal expense payments. Leonard’s then-agent Dennis Robertson was barred from conducting business with NBA teams and their affiliates for five years.
Team owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension from all league and team activities for knowingly facilitating Leonard’s off-court income opportunities and approving a commercial deal that served as a precondition for an endorsement contract with Aspiration Partners. Gillian Zucker, the Clippers’ president of business operations, was suspended for one year without pay for her central role in arranging irregular endorsement deals and making false statements to investigators. Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, received a six-month suspension without pay for his involvement in the agreements and approval of irregular expenses.
The investigation, conducted by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found that the Clippers created off-court income opportunities between Leonard and four companies with existing business ties to the franchise: Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Seguro. The league said the penalties reflect the severity of the institutional and leadership failures that enabled the misconduct.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the collectively bargained system determining player compensation is essential to the league’s competitive balance and benefits teams, players and fans alike. He added that the penalties underscore the gravity of the violations and the league’s commitment to upholding its rules.
