# NBA Hits Clippers with Historic Salary Cap Penalties

> Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year and the Clippers are fined $30 million following an investigation into Kawhi Leonard's endorsement deals.
- Title: NBA Hits Clippers with Historic Salary Cap Penalties · NPR
- Summary: Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year and the Clippers are fined $30 million following an investigation into Kawhi Leonard's endorsement deals. The NBA…
- Keywords: nba, clippers, kawhi leonard, steve ballmer, sports news, news, Hits, Historic, Salary, Cap, Penalties, NPR
- Source: NPR — https://www.npr.org/2026/09/02/nx-s1-5954825/nba-suspends-clippers-owner-ballmer-fines-team-30m-kawhi-leonard-700k-in-cap-circumvention-case
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nba, clippers, kawhi leonard, steve ballmer, sports news, news
## NBA drops historic penalties
The league suspended Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year and fined the franchise $30 million alongside stripping five first-round draft picks over salary cap violations.
## Execs and Leonard fined
Team executives Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank received suspensions, while star forward Kawhi Leonard was penalized $700,000 following a year-long investigation.
## Fraudulent firm sparked probe
The investigation centered on a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration, a company whose co-founder was sentenced to 14 years in prison for fraud.
## League details cap circumvention
The NBA concluded Leonard's inner circle pressured the Clippers for off-court income, and Ballmer knowingly assisted in securing those unauthorized deals.

> knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities
## Clippers vow legal battle
The franchise forcefully rejected the league's conclusions, calling the probe heavily biased and promising to challenge all penalties in arbitration.

> We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence
## Leonard prepares Toronto return
Leonard accepted responsibility for lapses by his representatives while maintaining he acted in good faith as his trade back to the Raptors proceeds.

> As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.
## Key takeaway

The NBA imposed unprecedented penalties on the Clippers for circumventing the salary cap through undisclosed off-court financial deals for Kawhi Leonard.