{"id":2146210,"date":"2026-09-15T21:36:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2146210"},"modified":"2026-09-15T21:36:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:36:49","slug":"clippers-historic-punishment-a-setback-not-permanent-damage-commissioner-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2146210","title":{"rendered":"Clippers\u2019 historic punishment a \u2018setback,\u2019 not \u2018permanent damage,\u2019 commissioner says"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p>NEW YORK \u2014 As the NBA\u2019s owners and high-ranking executives met this week for the league\u2019s latest Board of Governors meeting, the LA Clippers were missing. Steve Ballmer, the team\u2019s owner, just began his one-year ban that was set down by the league this month.<\/p>\n<p>The Clippers\u2019 president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, is suspended, too. That left the franchise without a presence for the past two days during the NBA\u2019s regularly scheduled confab.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It is one of the consequences of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7561441\/2026\/09\/03\/clippers-wachtell-report-adam-silver-punishment-nba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">punishment the NBA levied on the Clippers<\/a> two weeks ago after it found that the franchise circumvented its salary cap by facilitating four off-the-books sponsorship deals for star player Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers were docked five first-round picks and fined $30 million. Ballmer and Zucker are gone for the next year, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension.<\/p>\n<p>It was the largest penalty in league history, matching the five first-round picks the Minnesota Timberwolves lost a quarter-century ago in their cap circumvention discipline but drawing a heftier fine. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that the penalty is \u201cfinal\u201d for the Clippers, but the league has left open the possibility of receiving and acting upon any new information. And while there have been no discussions to this point about returning any first-round picks to the Clippers, the NBA did return two of the five it took from the Timberwolves after Minnesota circumvented its rules in 2000.<\/p>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"k6vS6ejRZgIHYuZ\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_Root__QeM_i\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_VideoWidth__XjNKI VideoHost_Portrait__XBaJC\">\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Root__AGckL\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Title__npf3B\">Pablo Torre reflects on the NBA&#8217;s historic ruling in the Kawhi Leonard case<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_VideoWrapper__Xgp47\">\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_root__AKv5b\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16;max-height:min(100%)\">\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_inner__86C_2\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16\">\n<div class=\"VideoStreamPlayer_GridStack__2H0p2\"><video preload=\"metadata\"><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The NBA relied on precedent in doling out its discipline to the Clippers, Silver said, but wanted to walk a line where it did not overly deflate the team\u2019s fanbase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think in any way we\u2019ve done permanent damage to this franchise, but there\u2019s no question this is a setback for the team,\u201d he said. \u201cAs I said, the ultimate goal in terms of these types of sanctions is to ensure that other teams don\u2019t engage in this type of behavior in the future, so there has to be something beyond suspensions and financial consequences, and that has to go to regular competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silver, in his first public comments since the released findings of the NBA investigation, said the league took time at its Board of Governors meeting to reiterate that everyone must abide by the league\u2019s rules. The Clippers, the league found, had helped set up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7513882\/2026\/09\/02\/clippers-kawhi-leonard-punishment-fine-suspensions-nba-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">multimillion-dollar endorsement deals for Leonard<\/a> with Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Companies \u2014 all team business partners.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Those contracts led to widely disparate penalties for the Clippers and for Leonard. While the Clippers must now reckon with a front office waylaid by the loss of its three top officials and the loss of five future picks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7566336\/2026\/09\/05\/kawhi-leonard-clippers-fine-trade-arbitration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leonard was fined just $700,000<\/a>. The NBA said that Leonard pressured the Clippers through his uncle, Dennis Robertson, for off-court income but declined to punish him further. He has since been officially traded to the Toronto Raptors and is set to receive a contract extension worth more than $100 million.<\/p>\n<p>The league reached a deal with the National Basketball Players Association to close the investigation and penalize the Clippers and, in the process, cut off any chance for the franchise to appeal that discipline. Silver declined to go into the league\u2019s negotiations with the players\u2019 union to reach that accord, and instead commended the NBPA\u2019s new executive director.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it would be appropriate to take you through the back-and-forth with the players\u00a0association,\u201d Silver said. \u201cI did meet directly with Kawhi recently. I think we all agree it\u2019s time to move forward here. I think David Kelly represented his player well and the interest of the players association. All I can say is I think we reached a fair outcome for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<p>Although the results of the league\u2019s investigation were revealed 13 days ago, the process reached a denouement Sunday night when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7592689\/2026\/09\/13\/steve-ballmer-clippers-nba-punishment-lawsuit-apology\/\">Ballmer publicly accepted the penalties<\/a> after the franchise initially pushed back against the NBA. The day the NBA released its report, the Clippers called the investigation a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d and said they intended to explore legal options to fight it. They also said that it had only introduced Leonard to team sponsors, and that those kinds of events were \u201cproper and commonplace\u201d in the NBA. Silver said Tuesday that \u201cwe know around the lines there\u2019s been slippage over the years, but nothing of this nature that I\u2019m aware of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ballmer did not accept culpability Sunday when he accepted the NBA\u2019s punishment, or admit to any of the wrongdoing alleged by the league and the Wachtell Lipton law firm that led the investigation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Clippers are now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7583517\/2026\/09\/10\/clippers-kawhi-leonard-doj-investigation-salary-cap-nba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">being investigated by the Department of Justice<\/a>, with an inquiry led by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of New York, according to a report by The New York Times. Daktronics acting chief financial officer Howard Atkins said this month that the Securities and Exchange Commission has reached out to the company for information about its deal with Leonard.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inline-graphic\">\n<p>        a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n  display: flex;<br \/>\n  gap: 20px;<br \/>\n  flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n  align-items: center;<br \/>\n  padding: 20px 0px;<br \/>\n  border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);<br \/>\n  text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n  color: #121212;<br \/>\n  cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-franklin;<br \/>\n    font-size: 14px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 700;<br \/>\n    line-height: 13.8px;<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 1.1px;<br \/>\n    text-transform: uppercase;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-image {<br \/>\n    border-radius: 8px;<br \/>\n    object-fit: cover;<br \/>\n    width: 200px;<br \/>\n    height: 150px;<br \/>\n    margin: 0px;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      width: 120px;<br \/>\n      height: 120px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-inner-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: row;<br \/>\n    gap: 16px;<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-text-content {<br \/>\n    display: flex;<br \/>\n    flex-direction: column;<br \/>\n    gap: 20px;<br \/>\n    justify-content: center;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      gap: 8px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-title {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-cheltenham;<br \/>\n    font-size: 24px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 500;<br \/>\n    line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/<br \/>\n    letter-spacing: 0.01px;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 3;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n    font-family: nyt-imperial;<br \/>\n    font-size: 16px;<br \/>\n    font-style: normal;<br \/>\n    font-weight: 400;<br \/>\n    line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/<br \/>\n    color: #323232;<br \/>\n    text-overflow: ellipsis;<br \/>\n    overflow: hidden;<br \/>\n    display: -webkit-box;<br \/>\n    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;<br \/>\n    -webkit-line-clamp: 4;<br \/>\n    @media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>\n      font-size: 12px;<br \/>\n      line-height: 121%;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>.showcase-link-inputs {<br \/>\n  .showcase-link-input {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n    font-size: 1rem;<br \/>\n    background-color: white;<br \/>\n    margin-bottom: 12px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  .showcase-link-indent {<br \/>\n    margin-left: 25px;<br \/>\n  }<\/p>\n<p>  option {<br \/>\n    width: 100%;<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {<br \/>\n  .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {<br \/>\n    background-color: #121212;<br \/>\n    color: #f0f0ee;<br \/>\n    .showcase-link-excerpt {<br \/>\n      color: #c4c4c0;<br \/>\n    }<br \/>\n  }<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<p>            \/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click<br \/>\n            document.querySelectorAll(&#8216;.showcase-link-image&#8217;).forEach((img) =&gt; img.removeAttribute(&#8216;onclick&#8217;));<\/p>\n<p>        <a id=\"showcase-link-7561064\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7561064\/2026\/09\/14\/kawhi-leonard-clippers-raptors-trade-aspiration\/\" class=\"showcase-link-container in-content-module-link testbed-shortcode\" data-shortcode-id=\"101\" data-shortcode-string=\"showcase-link\" data-content-id=\"7561064\" data-content-post-type=\"headline\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link\">What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-inner-content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/02\/05155016\/GettyImages-2259423430-1024x683.jpg?width=400&amp;quality=70\" alt=\"Clippers, Raptors complete Kawhi Leonard trade after NBA doles out punishment\" class=\"showcase-link-image\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-text-content\">\n<div class=\"showcase-link-title\">\n                  Clippers, Raptors complete Kawhi Leonard trade after NBA doles out punishment\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"showcase-link-excerpt\">\n                  After his trade was put on hold for the NBA&#8217;s investigation into the Clippers&#8217; cap circumvention, Kawhi Leonard is heading back to Toronto.\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ballmer\u2019s statement, however, is the first step for him returning to Silver\u2019s and the NBA\u2019s good graces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn terms of Steve\u2019s statement, putting aside the precise words he chose to use, most importantly he indicated a willingness to accept the league\u2019s decision in this case and the accompanying sanctions,\u201d Silver said. \u201cThat, initially, I was most focused on, which is markedly different than the initial statements that came out of his organization. I think there will be ample time to have additional conversations with him over the next year. Also, this is not information that I\u2019m sharing from a direct conversation with the Clippers organization. Again, there are other inquiries that have nothing to do with the NBA that the Clippers and Steve Ballmer are now dealing with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy assumption is, in some cases, he has to choose his words carefully in terms of what he is saying. Aside from that, I appreciate the fact that he has stood down, that he did apologize and is accepting responsibility. Our plan is to move forward. Every reason to believe that, at the end of the year period, he\u2019ll return to be an owner in good standing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK \u2014 As the NBA\u2019s owners and high-ranking executives met this week for the league\u2019s latest Board of Governors meeting, the LA Clippers were missing. Steve Ballmer, the team\u2019s owner, just began his one-year ban that was set down by the league this month. The Clippers\u2019 president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, is suspended, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2146210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2146210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2146210\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2146210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2146210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2146210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}