Steve Ballmer, the Los Angeles Clippers owner and former Microsoft chief executive, has been suspended by the NBA for a year after an investigation found he misled the public about the team's role in an illegitimate $28 million endorsement deal for star player Kawhi Leonard. The 35-page report, commissioned by the league and produced by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, concluded that Ballmer's denials were "inaccurate (at best)" and that similar claims by Clippers business operations president Gillian Zucker, who is also suspended for a year, were "clearly false". The scandal, which traces back to a podcast investigation a year ago, has already cost the Clippers five future draft picks and a $30 million fine, and threatens serious reputational damage for the franchise.

The report details how Clippers executives arranged for scoreboard manufacturer Daktronics to pay Leonard roughly $3 million as part of a "spend back" arrangement tied to a lucrative contract to build the Intuit Dome's giant Halo Board screen, with payments reportedly increased as the scoreboard's cost rose. Two further companies, Lockton Insurance and Boingo Wireless, are alleged to have funnelled an extra $18 million to Leonard but refused to fully cooperate with investigators, unlike Daktronics and the collapsed fintech firm Aspiration. Leonard has accepted a $700,000 fine and a ban for his business manager, while the Clippers have written to the NBA claiming the inquiry, sparked by "a podcaster's baseless claims" from the show Pablo Torre Finds Out, was biased and has cost Ballmer around $50 million in legal fees.