The NBA has come down hard on the LA Clippers, imposing the largest fine in league history — $30 million (about £22.2 million) — after determining the team broke salary-cap rules to secretly pay star forward Kawhi Leonard.
According to the league’s findings, the Clippers helped Leonard land lucrative “off-court” business deals as a workaround to the salary cap, the limit teams are allowed to spend on player payrolls. The scrutiny began in September 2025 after a podcast journalist revealed a $28 million (£20.8 million) endorsement agreement between Leonard and a company called Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, raising suspicions it was really a disguised salary payment.
Beyond the fine, the Clippers will lose five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033. Team owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all NBA activities for a year, and the club’s business operations president, Gillian Zucker, was suspended without pay for allegedly misleading investigators. Leonard himself was fined $700,000 (£520,000) but said he acted in “good faith” and had no knowledge of any rule-breaking.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the violations “flagrant,” while the Clippers vowed to appeal, calling the probe a biased “witch hunt.” Leonard, who spent seven seasons with the Clippers, is now expected to complete his move to the Toronto Raptors.
For the full story and more details, check out the original BBC Sport article.
Source: LA Clippers fined $30m over Leonard pay scandal (feeds.bbci.co.uk). English version produced with AI assistance.
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