en.malanginspirasi.com – The LA Clippers have been hit with a record $30m fine by the NBA after an investigation found the franchise violated salary-cap rules in connection with star player Kawhi Leonard.
The punishment is the largest fine in NBA history and follows a month-long league investigation into allegations that the Clippers helped Leonard secure millions of dollars in off-court income opportunities.
According to the NBA’s findings, Leonard pressured the Clippers into “obtaining off-court income opportunities” and was successful in securing those opportunities.
The league also ordered the Clippers to forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033.
Team owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all NBA and team activities for 12 months over his involvement in matters related to Leonard’s sponsorship agreements during his time with the franchise.
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disappointed” by what he described as the Clippers’ “flagrant violations” of league rules.
“I believe the severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations,” Silver said.
Leonard, a two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, has also been fined $700,000 (£518,997) by the league.
The Clippers’ president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, has been suspended for one year without pay after the NBA determined that she provided “misleading statements to investigators”.
The league said its investigation uncovered “a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations” by the Clippers, who had previously been disciplined for salary-cap circumvention.
Following the ruling, Leonard, 35, said he accepted responsibility for his actions but maintained that he had entered into the agreements in good faith.
“I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap,” Leonard wrote on Instagram.
He added that he “accepts full responsibility” and “regrets the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family”.
Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019 and spent seven seasons with the franchise before leaving earlier this year.
The NBA said the Clippers organization and its personnel will now be placed under a league-supervised compliance and monitoring programme for five years.
The unprecedented penalties mark a major blow to the Clippers and add another significant chapter to the controversy surrounding Leonard’s business arrangements during his time with the franchise.
