NBA Suspends Steve Ballmer, Fines Clippers and Kawhi Leonard Over Salary Cap Circumvention
The NBA has suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for one year and fined the team $30 million, along with a $700,000 fine for Kawhi Leonard, following a ruling on salary cap circumvention.
Fort Myers Naples, FL, September 2, 2026 —
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has issued significant penalties against the Los Angeles Clippers organization and key individuals, including owner Steve Ballmer and player Kawhi Leonard. The league announced a one-year suspension for Ballmer and a substantial $30 million fine for the team. Additionally, Kawhi Leonard has been fined $700,000. These sanctions stem from a ruling by the NBA concerning alleged salary cap circumvention.
The exact details of the specific transactions or actions that constituted the salary cap circumvention were not provided in the initial announcement. The league’s investigation concluded that the Clippers organization engaged in practices that violated the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement regarding player contracts and salary cap management. This ruling is part of the NBA’s ongoing efforts to maintain competitive balance across the league by enforcing its financial regulations.
Steve Ballmer, who purchased the Clippers in 2014, faces a lengthy ban from league activities. The terms of his suspension are expected to restrict his involvement in team operations and league matters for the duration of one year. The $30 million fine represents one of the larger financial penalties levied against a team in recent NBA history, underscoring the severity of the circumvention finding.
Kawhi Leonard’s fine of $700,000 is also a notable penalty for an individual player in connection with team-level financial violations. The NBA has not specified the precise role or involvement of Leonard in the circumvention that led to his financial penalty.
The NBA has not released a timeline for when the suspension and fines will officially take effect, nor has it provided specific details regarding the appeals process, if any, available to the sanctioned parties. The league typically aims to resolve such matters swiftly to avoid prolonged uncertainty. The full findings of the investigation and the specific nature of the salary cap circumvention remain under wraps pending further clarification from the NBA.
Story summarized from the original created by The Associated Press on www.npr.org, see more information here.
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