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An independent breakdown
In September 2026 independent investigators concluded the LA Clippers repeatedly broke the NBA's salary-cap rules to get Kawhi Leonard millions in off-court income. This is who did what, when, and what it cost. Every fact links to its source.
Salary-cap circumvention means secretly getting a player money outside his official contract, so it does not count against the team's salary cap.
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What is this report?
On September 2, 2026 the NBA's outside law firm, Wachtell Lipton, published a summary report. It found the LA Clippers repeatedly broke the NBA's salary cap rules to help Kawhi Leonard earn money off the court.
What did they find?
The Clippers steered four companies that wanted the team's business into signing Leonard to rich endorsement deals. The team also paid personal expenses it was not allowed to, and never reported improper demands from Leonard's uncle.
Who was most involved?
The report points to owner Steve Ballmer, business president Gillian Zucker and basketball president Lawrence Frank. Leonard, through his uncle Dennis Robertson, is also found to have broken the rules.
What were the penalties?
Separately, the NBA fined the Clippers $30 million, took away five first-round draft picks and suspended Ballmer for a year. Leonard must pay the league $700,000.
The story, briefly
It started with a podcast. On September 3, 2025 Pablo Torre Finds Outrevealed a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration, a now-bankrupt company that also sponsored the Clippers. The podcast alleged the real goal was to get around the salary cap. Podcast origin
The NBA hired Wachtell Lipton to investigate. After 73 interviews and more than 200,000 pages of documents, investigators concluded this was a pattern, not a one-off. Leonard's uncle Dennis Robertson pushed the team for about $10 million a year in off-court income, and the Clippers delivered by leaning on companies that wanted the team's business.Summary Report · p.14
In June 2020 executive Gillian Zucker connected Leonard's side to Boingo, Daktronics and Lockton in a six-day burst of emails written to look like the companies asked first. Within weeks each signed Leonard to an endorsement deal, and around the same time signed a consulting deal with the Clippers. Leonard was paid $18 million across the three.Summary Report · p.18
Then came Aspiration. After it signed huge sponsorship deals with the Clippers, plus a $50 million personal investment from owner Steve Ballmer, Zucker helped structure a $48 million endorsement for Leonard and fed the terms to a business agent. When Aspiration's executives balked, co-founder Joe Sanberg told them the Clippers were asking them to do it and that the team would send business back to cover the cost. Summary Report · p.28
On September 2, 2026 the report landed and the NBA handed down penalties. The Clippers were fined $30 million, lost five first-round picks, and Ballmer, Zucker and Frank were suspended. NBA announcement
The report also leaves a lot unnamed, the other player, the mystery business agent, which companies got which payments. We gathered the biggest gaps on the unanswered questions page.
See the full, filterable timeline → or see how the basketball world reacted →
Four companies, one pattern
The same shape appears four times. A company that wants the Clippers' business signs Leonard to an unusually rich endorsement deal.
Most involved
What the report found Summary Report
- Set up off-court income for Leonard with four companies doing business with the team.
- Helped push those endorsement deals through, sometimes shaping the terms.
- Paid hundreds of personal expenses for Leonard and his family that it was not allowed to.
- Never reported Robertson's improper demands to the NBA.
What the NBA did NBA announcement
- LA Clippers. Forfeit five first-round draft picks (2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, 2033)
- LA Clippers. $30 million fine
- LA Clippers. Five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office
- Steve Ballmer. Suspended from all league and team activities for one year
- Gillian Zucker. Suspended without pay for one year
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