NBA suspends Clippers owner Ballmer in Kawhi Leonard probe

The NBA said Wednesday that it suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year after finding violations of the league’s salary cap rules tied to Kawhi Leonard. The league also penalized the team and several executives following a broader investigation into alleged circumvention of player compensation rules. According to the NBA, the Clippers were fined $30 million and will lose five firstround draft picks starting in 2029. Team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended without pay for one year, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months. The league said the case involved offcourt income opportunities linked to Leonard and companies that did business with the Clippers. Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000, while the NBA also banned his former business manager, Dennis Robertson, from leaguerelated business for five years. The Clippers said they reject the findings and plan to challenge the penalties.