Clippers fined $30m and owner suspended after Leonard scandal

The Los Angeles Clippers were fined $30m and star player Kawhi Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty by the NBA on Wednesday for violating salary cap circumvention rules. The league came down hard on the organisation after a nearly year-long investigation. Owner Steve Ballmer has been suspended for one year, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been suspended without pay for six months and president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year, all for their involvement.

The Clippers were also stripped of five first-round draft picks. The Clippers had said multiple times that they had done nothing wrong and expected to be exonerated.