NBA Hits Clippers With Harshest Penalty Ever: $30M Fine, Five First-Round Picks, Ballmer Suspended One Year

The NBA fined the Clippers $30 million, stripped five first-round draft picks, and suspended owner Steve Ballmer one year for salary-cap circumvention — the harshest penalty in league history. An independent investigation found the Clippers arranged a $28 million no-show endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and a company Ballmer invested in. Leonard was fined $700,000. Commissioner Silver called the violations "flagrant."