Steve Ballmer won’t fight salary-cap circumvention penalties, apologizes to Clippers fans

In a long statement released Sunday night on social media, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer announced his franchise would comply with the severe penalties handed down by the NBA for circumventing the league’s salary cap rules.

The Clippers were stripped of five first-round draft picks and fined $30 million for funneling millions to Kawhi Leonard through endorsement deals with team sponsors. Ballmer was also suspended for one year “for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities,” according to the NBA. Last week, the New York Times reported the Justice Department started an investigation into the Clippers’ cap circumvention.

“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer wrote in a post on X. “I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.”

Ballmer went on to write that the team had paid the fine levied by the NBA and would comply with the league’s penalties, but also said he still disagreed with the findings of the NBA’s report compiled by the law firm Wachtell Lipton.

“This is not where I want to focus,” Ballmer wrote. “Team owners should support, not distract.”

This story will be updated.