Clippers Owner Ballmer Accepts NBA Sanctions, Pays $30M Fine

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has publicly accepted the NBA's penalties for salary cap circumvention involving star player Kawhi Leonard, paying a $30 million fine and agreeing to comply with all sanctions. In a statement released Sunday night, Ballmer apologized for the "distraction and distress" caused by the investigation and accepted responsibility as the team's principal owner. The penalties, stemming from a league-commissioned investigation, are among the most severe in NBA history. The Clippers will forfeit their first-round draft picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. Ballmer himself is suspended for one year from all league and team activities. Executive Gillian Zucker, the team's president of business operations, was suspended without pay for one year, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month unpaid suspension. Kawhi Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, was fined $700,000 but was not suspended. He did not contest the sanctions.