NBA: Los Angeles clippers fined $30m over Kawhi Leonard scandal - BBC Sport

The LA Clippers are fined $30m by the NBA for violating salary rules in order to funnel millions of dollars to star player Kawhi Leonard.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kawhi Leonard joined the LA Clippers in 2019

The LA Clippers have been fined $30m (£22.2m) by the NBA for violating salary rules in order to funnel millions of dollars to star player Kawhi Leonard.

The fine - the largest in the league's history - comes after the NBA report said Leonard pressured the Clippers into "obtaining off-court income opportunities [and] successfully obtaining those opportunities".

The investigation was opened in September 2025 when podcast journalist Pablo Torre reported that a $28m (£20.8m) endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC could have broken league rules.

The Clippers will also have to forfeit five first-round draft picks between 2029 and 2033, while owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended from all league and team activities for 12 months for his role in matters involving Leonard's sponsorship contracts.