The LA Clippers have been fined $30m (£22.2m) by the NBA, the largest penalty in league history, after an investigation found the team violated salary-cap rules to funnel off-court income to star player Kawhi Leonard. The punishment underscores the NBA's determination to crack down on salary-cap circumvention, particularly given the Clippers were identified as a "prior offender" of such rules, and it comes with significant consequences beyond the fine itself.

The team must forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033, while owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for 12 months over his role in Leonard's sponsorship arrangements. Leonard himself has been fined $700,000, and club president Gillian Zucker has been suspended without pay for a year for misleading investigators, though Leonard says he acted in good faith and was unaware of any wrongdoing. The Clippers' organisation and personnel will also be subject to a five-year NBA compliance and monitoring programme, with commissioner Adam Silver calling the violations "flagrant" and saying the penalties reflect their seriousness.