Steve Ballmer has decided to accept the NBA’s punishment of the Los Angeles Clippers following the league’s salary cap circumvention investigation, with the team owner choosing not to pursue legal action. Ballmer confirmed that the Clippers have already paid the league-issued fine and will comply with the remaining penalties. Although he acknowledged that disagreements remain […]
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The owner took responsibility and apologized for the Kawhi Leonard scandal in a lengthy social media post.
The Clippers’ legal fight against the NBA has ended before it ever began. Owner Steve Ballmer has informed the league that the franchise will comply with its salary-cap circumvention penalties and will not pursue legal action. The Clippers have already paid their $30 million fine. “We are committing to put this chapter behind us,” Ballmer said in a statement. Ballmer apologized to Clippers fans, employees and his fellow NBA owners, accepting responsibility for the distraction as the organizati...
Steve Ballmer is accepting the NBA’s punishment for the Los Angeles Clippers’ role in the Kawhi Leonard contract saga. The Clippers owner released a statement Sunday night saying the team is “complying with the penalties assessed by the league.” The NBA suspended Ballmer for one year, fined the team $30 million and forced it to forfeit five first-round draft picks while saying the Clippers violated salary-cap circumvention rules in its decision on Sept. 3. Also, two-time NBA Finals MVP Leonard...
ASSOCIATED PRESS Steve Ballmer is taking the NBA’s punishment after all. The Los Angeles Clippers owner, after vowing to fight back after the league handed down a massive punishment earlier this month for cap circumvention related to Kawhi Leonard, has now reversed course and will accept the sanctions placed against him. “This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer said in a statement, via ESPN’s Shams Charania....
By Eli Cohen | at September 13, 2026 10:10 pm After previous statements indicated that Steve Ballmer and the Clippers were considering legal options to challenge the NBA’s findings in their cap circumvention investigation, the embattled owner has announced that he will comply with the ruling and not pursue legal action, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter). In his report, Charania published a statement from Ballmer in which he was repentent for his role in what is one of the largest fra...
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers have paid the $30 million fine the NBA assessed in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention case, owner Steve Ballmer said in a statement posted to his account on X at 10 p.m. CT Sunday. Ballmer apologized to the team’s fans, employees, and his fellow NBA owners, and […]
The drama involving Steve Ballmer’s Los Angeles Clippers and NBA officials seems to be coming to a close. Following an independent investigation into the Clippers circumventing the salary cap to pay star Kawhi Leonard, the NBA imposed its punishment on the franchise. They “found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the […]
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Los Angeles Clippers governor Steve Ballmer said in a statement on Sunday night that the organization will comply with the NBA's punishments after its investigation into salary-cap circumvention regarding endorsement deals given to Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers spent the past year cooperating with an NBA investigation. Now comes the version with subpoenas. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have opened a criminal inquiry into the Clippers’ dealings with Kawhi Leonard, including the endorsement agreements the NBA determined were used to circumvent the salary cap. As Michael McCann of Sportico explained, that doesn’t mean criminal charges are coming. Investigations can end without anyone being charged, and the scope and potential targets of t...
After the NBA revealed the findings of its salary cap circumvention investigation into the Clippers, announcing that the team would face a series of penalties that include five forfeited first-round picks, the team threatened to pursue legal action. However, embattled team owner Steve Ballmer announced on Sunday that he and the organization will comply with […]
The Clippers’ legal fight against the NBA has ended before it ever began. Owner Steve Ballmer has informed the league that the franchise will comply with its salary-cap circumvention penalties and will not pursue legal action. The Clippers have already paid their $30 million fine. “We are committing to put this chapter behind us,” Ballmer […]
The post Steve Ballmer backs down, Clippers won’t sue NBA over cap penalties appeared first on Hoops Wire .
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has released a statement reneging on his word to fight the sanctions imposed upon him by the league for the salary cap circumvention related to Kawhi Leonard. He said he would fight back after the punishments, which included the loss of five future first-round draft picks, a fine of $30M and a […]
The post Steve Ballmer Accepts NBA’s Punishment Over Kawhi Leonard Scandal appeared first on Basketball Forever .
The Clippers spent the past year cooperating with an NBA investigation. Now comes the version with subpoenas. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have opened a criminal inquiry into the Clippers’ dealings with Kawhi Leonard, including the endorsement agreements the NBA determined were used to circumvent the salary cap. As Michael McCann of Sportico explained, that doesn’t […]
The post Federal Kawhi Leonard probe carries risks NBA investigation never could appeared first on Hoops Wire .
Several NBA insiders suggest the Clippers' 'little brother syndrome' with the Lakers pushed them to break the salary cap rules with Kawhi Leonard and his uncle.
By Rory Maher | at September 13, 2026 2:16 pm Michael McCann of Sportico takes a closer look at what the Department of Justice’s reported investigation into the Clippers’ dealings with Kawhi Leonard might mean for the team. Federal prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York have opened a criminal inquiry into the Clippers following allegations that they arranged “no-show” endorsement deals with four companies to pay Leonard more than his typical NBA salary. As McCann writes, just because...
Michael McCann of Sportico takes a closer look at what the Department of Justice’s reported investigation into the Clippers’ dealings with Kawhi Leonard might mean for the team. Federal prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York have opened a criminal inquiry into the Clippers following allegations that they arranged “no-show” endorsement deals with four […]
The Los Angeles Clippers have had a completely wild offseason filled with bold moves, unprecedented chaos, and drama surrounding their former franchise player Kawhi Leonard.
The Los Angeles Clippers are still recovering from the immense punishment they recently took from the NBA as a result of their salary cap circumvention scheme involving Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is, in all likelihood, headed to the Toronto Raptors via a trade, and his punishment is extremely light compared to some of the other penalties […]
The post Clippers insider calls out franchise’s ‘insecurity problem’ involving Lakers appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Just when the LA Clippers organization and All-Star Kawhi Leonard thought the investigation of their illegal salary circumvention was over, […]
Let’s begin with the uncomfortable part: The Clippers should feel insecure about the Lakers. One franchise owns Los Angeles basketball. It has the championships, banners, stars, generations of fans and a name recognized around the world. The Lakers have been dysfunctional at times and still managed to own the room. The Clippers have Steve Ballmer, a magnificent new arena and a decades-long identity crisis. Clippers beat writer Joey Linn said the quiet part out loud during an appearance on Siri...
Let’s begin with the uncomfortable part: The Clippers should feel insecure about the Lakers. One franchise owns Los Angeles basketball. It has the championships, banners, stars, generations of fans and a name recognized around the world. The Lakers have been dysfunctional at times and still managed to own the room. The Clippers have Steve Ballmer, […]
The post Clippers wanted out of Lakers’ shadow; now they’re buried in scandal appeared first on Hoops Wire .
Ben Simmons is back in the NBA. Not everyone thinks he deserves to be. The former Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers player, who missed all of last season while recovering from back issues, signed with the Sacramento Kings last week on a one-year, $3.5 million deal. The No. 1 pick in the…
Pablo Torre spent more than a year digging into the Los Angeles Clippers and their dealings involving Kawhi Leonard. The reporting later became part of a much larger controversy after the NBA punished Los Angeles and federal authorities began examining the matter. For Dan Le Batard, the remarkable part is how a relatively small independent [...]
The Los Angeles Clippers are facing growing criticism following the NBA’s investigation into salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard. The league determined that the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer violated its rules, resulting in a $30 million fine and the loss of five first-round picks. Ballmer was also suspended for one year, while Leonard was fined […]
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