LOS ANGELES — The LA Clippers have issued a statement after the NBA found them guilty of circumventing the salary cap for Kawhi Leonard.
“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence,” the Clippers said. “What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure its fairness and accuracy.
“For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence. We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”
Clippers And Leonard Got Penalized
The NBA announced that the Clippers and Leonard have been penalized for violating the salary cap circumvention rules contained in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). This determination was based upon information developed through an independent investigation conducted by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
The investigation found a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization, a prior offender of the salary cap circumvention rules.
Leonard, through the conduct of Dennis Robertson on his behalf, violated the circumvention rules by pressuring the Clippers to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.
Based on this misconduct, the NBA has imposed the following penalties:
● The Clippers shall forfeit five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 NBA Drafts.
● The Clippers are fined $30 million.
● Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.
● Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year for being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.
● Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months for his involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Leonard and his family.
● The Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.
● In connection with his violations, Leonard is required to pay the league $700,000.
● Mr. Robertson is banned from conducting business or otherwise engaging with NBA teams and their affiliates on behalf of or with respect to any player, employee, or other league or team personnel for a period of five years.
The NBA and the NBPA have entered into an agreement confirming these penalties are final and binding on all parties. Wachtell Lipton continues to receive information relevant to the investigation, and the league will consider further action as appropriate.
Adam Silver Statement
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: “The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans. I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”
The Clippers agreed to trade Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors on July 9.
