LA Clippers fined $30m by NBA over Leonard scandal

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has imposed a $30 million fine on the Los Angeles Clippers for violating salary rules to funnel funds to star player Kawhi Leonard. The fine, the largest in NBA history, follows a report stating Leonard pressured the team into obtaining off-court income opportunities, which they successfully secured.

The team will forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033. Owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for 12 months from league and team activities. The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, expressed deep disappointment in the Clippers' violations of rules. Two-time NBA champion Leonard was fined $700,000, and the team's president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, was suspended for a year without pay for providing misleading statements to investigators.

The punishments follow the NBA's investigation, which found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rule violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary-cap circumvention rules. Leonard accepted full responsibility for his actions and expressed regret for the distraction caused. The Clippers will be subject to a five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league.