The Los Angeles’ based basketball team, the LA Clippers have been hit with a record $30 million fine by the NBA over violations of the league’s salary rules involving star player Kawhi Leonard.
The punishment, the biggest fine in NBA history, follows a month-long investigation into the Clippers’ handling of off-court income opportunities linked to Leonard.
According to the NBA, the Clippers “knowingly” sought to help Leonard secure off-court income opportunities and were found to have committed multiple significant rules violations.
The team will also forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all NBA and team activities for 12 months over his role in matters involving Leonard’s sponsorship contracts during his time with the franchise.
Leonard has also been fined $700,000 by the league.
The NBA said its investigation found “a pattern of misconduct” within the Clippers organisation, which it described as a prior offender of the league’s salary-cap circumvention rules.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disappointed” by what he described as the Clippers’ “flagrant violations”, adding that the severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the offences.
The team’s president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, has also been suspended for one year without pay for providing “misleading statements to investigators”.
Leonard, 35, said he accepts full responsibility for his actions and regrets the distraction the situation has caused his fans and family.
The two-time NBA champion said he entered his contract with the Clippers and the agreements in question “in good faith”, adding that he had no knowledge of any intention to circumvent the salary cap.
Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019 and spent seven years with the franchise before leaving earlier this year.
The NBA said both the Clippers organisation and its personnel will be placed under a league-supervised compliance and monitoring programme for five years.
