NBA penalties humiliate Steve Ballmer, vindicate journalism and echo the HC Lugano affair

The Los Angeles Clippers once called the signing of Kawhi Leonard a “historic moment.” Seven years later, the NBA has turned that celebrated deal into the source of the harshest sanctions in league history.

The Clippers must pay a $30 million fine. Owner Steve Ballmer faces a one-year suspension, while Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, is suspended for six months. The franchise will also lose five first-round draft picks.

The penalties concern alleged violations connected to the recruitment of Leonard, now 35. The NBA published a 35-page summary of its investigative report after journalist Pablo Torre brought the affair to light. Torre detailed how the Clippers allegedly used several business partners to provide Leonard with additional payments while attempting to bypass the league’s binding salary cap.

For the Clippers, the punishment lands against a history of limited success. Since the organization began playing under its name in San Diego in 1978, it had advanced beyond the first playoff round only once before the Leonard era. The team has also struggled to escape the shadow of the far more popular and successful Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers reached their only conference final in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, when Leonard was on the roster. The new ruling leaves the franchise facing an even darker future, while Torre’s work offers an example of the role independent journalism can still play in exposing sports scandals. The story also recalls illegal payments linked to Swiss ice hockey club HC Lugano around the turn of the millennium.

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This is a historic moment for our organization and our fans.