▲ LA Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard (NBA)
The NBA has slapped the LA Clippers and star forward Kawhi Leonard with heavy penalties for cleverly circumventing salary cap regulations.
The NBA announced on the 3rd (Korea time) that it is penalizing the Clippers, Leonard, and others for violating salary cap circumvention rules, based on the findings of an independent investigation.
According to the investigation, the Clippers arranged private sponsorship deals for Leonard with four companies doing business with the team, enabling him to secure off-court income.
The team induced agreements with Leonard on the condition of providing business opportunities with the club, and committed multiple serious rule violations, including covering personal expenses for Leonard and his representative.
It was also confirmed that Leonard pressured the team for unfair support through his business manager at the time, Denis Robertson, and failed to reimburse the covered expenses.
Consequently, the NBA imposed a 30 million dollar (approx. 40.8 billion KRW) fine on the Clippers and stripped the franchise of all its first-round draft picks for a five-year period from 2029 through 2033.
In addition, the team will be subjected to special monitoring by the league office to ensure proper compliance over the next five years.
The team's leadership was also hit with a wave of disciplinary actions.
Owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team-related activities for one year for knowing about, approving, and enabling Leonard's generation of unfair profits.
Business President Gillian Zucker received a one-year unpaid suspension, and Basketball President Lawrence Frank received a six-month unpaid suspension.
Leonard, the party at fault, must pay 700,000 dollars (approx. 950 million KRW) to the league as a fine, while his former manager Robertson has been completely banned from business activities with NBA teams and related personnel for the next five years.
Following the announcement of the penalties, Leonard bowed his head through a statement released by his representative, saying, "I take full responsibility for the poor judgment of those close to me, and I am sorry for causing concern to the fans and my family through this matter."
However, he denied intentional wrongdoing, stating, "My contract with the Clippers and the agreements in question were all entered into in good faith, and I have dedicated myself to fulfilling my duties as a player. I had no knowledge whatsoever of any intent to circumvent the salary cap."
Born in 1991, Leonard is a premier 198 cm forward in the league who was named Finals MVP in 2014 and 2019.
He has also been selected as an All-Star seven times and averaged 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 65 regular-season games for the Clippers during the 2025-2026 season.
Although Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors last June, Toronto has put the transfer process on hold, stating, "We will proceed with the next steps (regarding the trade) after the results of the investigation into the Clippers and Leonard are released."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver emphasized, "The league's player compensation system is the foundation for fair competition. I am deeply disappointed by the Clippers' blatant rule violations and the lax management of their leadership that led to this situation. The severity of the penalties reflects the gravity of the violations."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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