The National Basketball Association has handed down penalties to the Los Angeles Clippers and forward Kawhi Leonard following a probe into salary cap violations, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. The league removed five first-round draft selections from the team for the 2029 through 2033 seasons.
Owner Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million and suspended for one year from league and team activities. Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month unpaid suspension, while president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year.
The organization must also operate under a five-year compliance and monitoring program directed by league officials. The case originated from a September 2025 report alleging Leonard received a $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration Partners Inc. that required no work in return.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that the violations were flagrant and reflected institutional failures by the Clippers. He noted that the penalties reflect the seriousness of the misconduct under the league's compensation system.
Harrison Gaines, Leonard's agent, issued a statement accepting responsibility for lapses by people in his client's inner circle. Gaines added that Leonard entered the agreements in good faith and without knowledge of any intent to circumvent the salary cap.
The Clippers rejected the findings in their own statement and said they will challenge the penalties through arbitration. Leonard's uncle Dennis Robertson was banned from all NBA business dealings as part of the resolution.
Leonard is expected to complete a trade to the Toronto Raptors, though that team has not yet commented publicly on the outcome.
This report is based on coverage by FOX 11 Los Angeles: https://www.foxla.com/news/kawhi-leonard-la-clipperes-salary-cap-investigation-nba-ruling