Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has apologized almost two weeks after a broad array of sanctions was slapped on the team by the National Basketball Association.
In a statement posted on X, Ballmer called this a “difficult time” and apologized to the team’s fans, employees, and “my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused.”
Earlier this month, the Clippers were hit with sanctions for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules related to star player Kawhi Leonard and four companies that did business with the team.
The team will also forfeit five first-round draft picks, with one each year beginning in 2029, as well as pay a fine of $30 million, the largest in NBA history.
Ballmer said that the team is complying with the penalties, has paid the fines and is “moving forward.”
He added, however, that “while there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus. Team owners should support, not distract.”
When the penalties were disclosed, the Clippers had “vehemently” rejected the NBA’s findings. The team said it intended to challenge the report, adding that the report’s findings “are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.”
The NBA said Ballmer “knowingly” sought to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities worth millions of dollars, among other violations.
Leonard, on his part, said that he had “no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.”
Ballmer went on to say that the Clippers will continue to build the team and invest in their community, adding he is “certain that we will compete at the highest level and be an organization our fans can be proud of.”
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.
