Los Angeles Clippers get hit hard.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49806356/nba-announces-punishments-clippers-kawhi-probe
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That’s severe!!
OT: sure hope MLB can get to their salary cap. The NBA and NFL saw the light long ago.
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Yep. Silver had to do it.
For those who don’t want to click through, Clips are losing 5 first-round picks (2029-2033), 1 year suspension for Ballmer (what does that mean, exactly?) and a $30 million fine, with a $250k fine to Kawhi directly.
Note: the Clippers do not have rights to their first-round pick in 2027 or 2028.
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Kawhi should’ve been suspended
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The fact that he was fined $750k with no suspension is crazy. But good on Silver hitting the team hard. Pablo’s had a heck of a week.
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Yah it was great journalism by Torre. Hope he goes after Brunson and the Knicks next.
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It’s been hinted that Brunson may have some suspicious deals too??
There’s something incredibly bizarre about ESPN publishing an anonymously sourced report two weeks ago minimizing the Ballmer/Kawhi investigation, only for the NBA to come out within hours of that report and say ESPN’s reporting contained “numerous and significant inaccuracies.”
Remember, ESPN isn’t just covering the NBA. It’s paying roughly $2.6 billion a year to be its primary media partner through 2035-36.
I’m not saying ESPN deliberately protected its investment, because there’s no evidence of that. But when your news division is investigating an organization your company has committed nearly $29 billion to, the potential conflict of interest is impossible to ignore.
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