Due to the salary cap issue, the Clippers owner was suspended

Ballmer was suspended for trying to assist Leonard in «obtaining off-court income opportunities» and for «approving a business agreement that he knew was a precondition.» For the player to «enter into an endorsement agreement» with Aspiration. This financial technology company signed a $22 million endorsement deal with Leonard.

Additionally, Aspiration was a partner of the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ $2 billion stadium constructed in 2024. And a corporate and jersey patch sponsor of the team.

In what is regarded as one of the harshest penalties for a franchise in professional sports history. The Clippers were fined $30 million and have to give up five first-round draft picks—one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA Drafts.

The Clippers’ president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, received a one-year unpaid suspension. Also its president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, received a six-month unpaid suspension.

Leonard, who will play for the Toronto Raptors in the upcoming NBA season, will not be punished but will reimburse the league $700,000.

According to ESPN, the Clippers disputed the NBA’s findings and punishments on Wednesday, accusing the league of carrying out a «heavily biased investigation that sought to justify a predetermined narrative rather than being based on facts and evidence.» «What the league told us privately differs from what it announced publicly today,» the team said. Adding that it plans to contest the conclusions and penalties.

Ballmer is the ninth richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $152.7 billion. The Clippers ranked fourth behind the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors in Forbes’ 2025 list of the NBA’s most valuable clubs, with a valuation of $7.5 billion.