{"id":2127664,"date":"2026-09-04T09:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2127664"},"modified":"2026-09-04T09:00:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:00:41","slug":"adam-silver-protected-the-league-steve-ballmer-is-only-protecting-his-pride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2127664","title":{"rendered":"Adam Silver protected the league. Steve Ballmer is only protecting his pride"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For almost a dozen years, Adam Silver and Steve Ballmer enjoyed a dream commissioner-owner relationship. Both assumed their roles in 2014, an NBA recruiting class of sorts: Silver rising from longtime lieutenant to David Stern\u2019s replacement in February, Ballmer purchasing the LA Clippers for a then-record $2 billion in August. Immediately, they made each other look good, real good.<\/p>\n

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After Silver\u2019s ban of Donald Sterling influenced the owner to sell the Clippers, Ballmer became more than the league\u2019s wealthiest governor. He symbolized an ambitious new direction for a changing NBA. His arrival amounted to a stunning first impression for the Silver era, a goofy businessman with serious acumen determined to transform the saddest franchise and emerge from the Lakers\u2019 immense shadow.<\/p>\n

Six months into the partnership, Silver appeared on television with Charlie Rose<\/a> and called Ballmer \u201cthe absolute perfect owner.\u201d The measured Silver doesn\u2019t throw verbal bouquets for effect. He meant it as a description, not flattery. For more than a decade, as Ballmer elevated the Clippers\u2019 relevance, translated his tech entrepreneurial sense to the NBA and invested $2 billion in an Inglewood palace, it was hard to argue about how well he fit.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Silver took a hammer<\/a> to that relationship. He had to do it. He has a league to run. No BFFs allowed, just business.<\/p>\n

The NBA commissioned an investigation into Kawhi Leonard\u2019s arrangement with the now-bankrupt environmental company Aspiration, and it revealed<\/a> more layers to what Pablo Torre has been reporting on his podcast for more than a year<\/a>: There\u2019s evidence to suggest the Clippers routed impermissible money to their franchise player, and deniability cannot shield Ballmer.<\/p>\n

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In response to the findings, Silver handed down a historic punishment intended to rattle an entire sports world built atop compliance and integrity. The harshest among a list of penalties longer than a CVS receipt: Five forfeited first-round draft picks, a $30 million fine and a yearlong suspension for an owner whose reputation deteriorated from perfect to rotten in record time.<\/p>\n

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The Kawhi Saga: What the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers revealed<\/div>\n
Mike Vorkunov and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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