NBA fines Clippers $30 million over salary cap rule violations
The National Basketball Association has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $30 million for violating salary cap rules. According to MyJoyOnline, the league said the club sought to help star player Kawhi Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities. The NBA called the fine the largest in league history.
Sanctions for the club and management
The Clippers were also stripped of five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033. Club owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for 12 months from all NBA and team activities because of his role in matters related to Leonard's endorsement contracts during Ballmer's tenure with the franchise.
The club's president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, was suspended for one year without pay. According to the NBA, she made misleading statements to investigators.
Findings of the NBA investigation
The league said its month-long investigation uncovered a pattern of improper conduct and several significant rule violations by the Clippers organization. The NBA also described the club as a repeat offender of salary cap circumvention rules.
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According to the NBA report, Leonard pressured the club to obtain off-court income opportunities and ultimately received them. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was deeply disappointed by the Clippers' blatant rule violations and that the severity of the punishment corresponds to the seriousness of the violations.
The league fined Leonard himself $700,000. The basketball player said on Instagram that he takes full responsibility for his actions and regrets the distraction caused to fans and his family. He also said that he entered into his contract with the club and the other mentioned agreements in good faith and was unaware of an intention to circumvent the salary cap.
The NBA said the Clippers organization and its staff will be subject to a league-administered compliance monitoring program for five years.
