The NBA has issued severe punishments against the Los Angeles Clippers following a salary-cap investigation linked to star player Kawhi Leonard, suspending owner Steve Ballmer for a year and stripping the team of five future first-round draft picks. The action stems from findings that the Clippers had circumvented the league's salary cap by arranging sham sponsorship deals to pay Leonard beyond his contracted salary, marking what are believed to be the harshest penalties in NBA history and underscoring the league's determination to enforce its collectively bargained pay rules.

The year-long probe, conducted by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, followed a report by podcaster Pablo Torre alleging Leonard had a $28 million no-show contract with sponsor Aspiration; investigators found three further improper arrangements involving other companies. The Clippers will lose first-round picks from 2029 to 2033, while Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities for a year, executives Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank received lesser suspensions, and Leonard's uncle Dennis Robertson was banned for five years. Leonard himself was fined $700,000 but not suspended, and has since accepted "full responsibility" for his inner circle's actions, while the Clippers say they will contest the findings, which they call "heavily biased".