The National Basketball Association (NBA) has fined the LA Clippers and star player Kawhi Leonard following an investigation that uncovered violations of salary cap circumvention rules. On Wednesday, September 2, the NBA announced heavy penalties against the franchise, including the forfeiture of five future first-round draft picks.
The league imposed a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension on franchise owner Steve Ballmer. The penalties stem from an investigation involving Kawhi Leonard over secret payments outside official contracts. The NBA stated that a nearly yearlong probe found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organisation, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules.
As a result, the Clippers must forfeit their first-round draft picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. While Leonard avoided a suspension, he was fined $700,000.
Both the league and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) confirmed that all penalties are final and binding, marking one of the strictest enforcement actions taken by the basketball body in recent history.