Clippers owner Steve Ballmer says he has ‘sincere regrets’ and accepts the NBA’s punishment over the Kawhi Leonard scandal

Steve Ballmer is ready to turn the page on the Los Angeles Clippers’ handling of NBA star Kawhi Leonard’s contracts.

“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer said in a statement published on Sunday night. “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, the Clippers owner, said there “are still disagreements” with the NBA-commissioned report that found the Clippers violated the league’s salary cap by introducing Leonard to companies doing business with the team, “inducing the companies” to work with Leonard in exchange for Clippers business, and covering Leonard’s personal expenses.

In response to the findings, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver dropped the hammer on the Clippers. The franchise was forced to give up five first-round NBA draft picks, starting in the 2029 draft and continuing through 2033. The NBA suspended Ballmer “from all league and team activities” for one year. Silver also imposed a $30 million fine on the team, the largest such financial penalty in league history.

Ballmer, who is one of the 10 richest people in the world, said the team has already paid the fine.

The report, prepared by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found that Ballmer “knowingly sought to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities” and “failed to create conditions” in which the franchise complied with the NBA’s salary cap.

The NBA’s investigation began after journalist Pablo Torre, through his podcast “Pablo Finds Out,” documented significant questions about Leonard’s off-court endorsement deals and whether they amounted to “no show” jobs. Torre’s podcast later won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting.

Before Sunday’s statement, Ballmer had denied wrongdoing. After the NBA published the report on September 2, the Clippers released a statement that said the franchise would “vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us,” suggesting the possibility that the team could sue the NBA. In his statement Sunday, Ballmer said he did not want to “focus” on such a fight.

“While there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus,” he said. “Team owners should support, not distract.”

As for Leonard, it’s unclear if he will return to Toronto. In July, the Clippers agreed to trade Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, but the deal was put on hold pending the conclusion of the investigation. The NBA fined Leonard $700,000 for his violations.

Leonard said that he had “no knowledge” that anyone was trying to circumvent the salary cap. Earlier this summer, Leonard’s former business manager, Dennis Robertson, who is also his uncle, received a five-year ban for his actions.

“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am,” he said in a statement, according to ESPN. “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”

It remains to be seen if this is the final word on the entire Leonard saga.

The New York Times reported last week that the Department of Justice is also looking into the matter. Scoreboard manufacturer Daktronics, one of four companies whose endorsement deals were the focus of the investigation, announced during its recent earnings call that it is under a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation over its agreements with Leonard.

When it released its report, the NBA said that “Wachtell Lipton continues to receive information relevant to the investigation.”