NBA disputes ESPN report on Clippers investigation

The National Basketball Association issued a sharp rebuke to a media report on Monday, August 17, 2026, stating it contained "numerous and significant inaccuracies" regarding the league's ongoing investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and star player Kawhi Leonard. The dispute centers on the nature of the probe into alleged salary cap circumvention, which has cast uncertainty over a pending trade that would send Leonard to the Toronto Raptors.

The report in question, published earlier in the day, cited sources familiar with the investigation and stated that the NBA had found no evidence that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer personally funneled money through team sponsors to pay Leonard. According to that account, the league's focus had shifted to narrower questions, specifically whether the Clippers broke rules by introducing Leonard to corporate partners or failed to properly supervise employees. The report also indicated that the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz had presented its initial findings to the team in late July, and that both sides had since been engaged in negotiations to resolve the matter.

In a statement released shortly after the report, NBA spokesman...