Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer hands Kawhi Leonard his jersey during an introduction press conference in 2019.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer hands Kawhi Leonard his jersey during an introduction press conference in 2019.
But then the NBA made things less clear with a denial the drama was about to come to a close.
ESPN reported: “The NBA has found no evidence showing LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard in order to circumvent the salary cap, according to three people with knowledge of discussions between the two sides in recent days.”
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It added: “Instead, the NBA is focused on whether the team’s introduction of Leonard to team sponsors constitutes a violation of the league’s rules prohibiting salary-cap circumvention, two of the sources said. The league is examining whether the Clippers are guilty of ‘failure to supervise’ employees, though it’s unclear what specific rule the team would have violated or what the penalties would be, two of the sources said.”
The report seemed to set up a conclusion by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz that has been conducted an investigation into the matters for nearly a year, that the more serious allegations were dispelled.
Monday’s report came from Baxter Holmes and Don Van Natta Jr., two of ESPN’s most respected investigative reporters, and Ramona Shelburne, who broke last week’s shocking Los Angeles Lakers sale amidst many L.A.-centred stories over the years.
The NBA had declined to respond before the report was published, but not long after it went live, released a statement.
“ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation – for which the NBA declined to cooperate – contains numerous and significant inaccuracies,” wrote NBA spokesman Mike Bass. “The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.”
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NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass issued the following statement, stating that the article written by ESPN about the NBA finding no evidence that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap contains numerous and significant inaccuracies. pic.twitter.com/T6QqGc3u4u
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 17, 2026