Topline
The NBA on Wednesday suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, the ninth-wealthiest person in the world, for a year, handing down a historic ban after finding salary cap rules were violated in deals involving former Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.
Owner Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Intuit Dome on December 28, 2025 in Inglewood, California.
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Key Facts
Ballmer was suspended for trying to help Leonard “obtain off-court income opportunities” and for “approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition” for Aspiration, a fintech company that signed a $22 million endorsement deal with Leonard, “to enter into an endorsement agreement” with the player.
Aspiration was also a corporate and jersey patch sponsor for the Clippers, as well as a partner for the Intuit Dome—the Clippers $2 billion home stadium built in 2024.
The Clippers have been fined $30 million and are required to forfeit five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA Drafts—widely considered one of the most severe team punishments in professional sports history.
Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year, while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months.
Leonard, who is returning to the Toronto Raptors for the upcoming NBA season, will pay the league $700,000 in restitution but will not be suspended.
Chief Critic
The Clippers rejected the findings and punishments announced by the NBA on Wednesday, according to ESPN, accusing the league of conducting a “heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.” The team claimed, “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly,” adding it intends to challenge the findings and penalties.
Crucial Quote
“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am,” Leonard said in a statement reported by ESPN. “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Ballmer’s net worth at $152.7 billion, making him the ninth-wealthiest person in the world. The Clippers were valued at $7.5 billion in Forbes’ 2025 list of the NBA’s most valuable teams, ranking No. 4, behind the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Key Background
The NBA’s probe into Ballmer and the Clippers is rooted in a lawsuit filed by former international basketball player Johnny Wilkes alleging late Clippers executive Jerry West promised him $2.5 million to lure Leonard and his uncle and business adviser, Dennis Robertson, to the Clippers during free agency in 2019. Wilkes was a close friend of Robertson’s, and also alleged he advised the Clippers to trade for Paul George. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, but the Clippers gained notoriety from the legal battle and the team was later the subject of a report from sports journalist Pablo Torre that revealed emails from Clippers staff who coordinated promotional appearances for Leonard with undisclosed sponsors like Aspiration. The NBA launched a years-long investigation into the team to determine if it was using the partnerships to provide money to Leonard under the table. Ballmer invested over $50 million into Aspiration while Leonard had an endorsement deal with the company that reportedly included a secret side deal worth another $20 million, Torre reported.
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