After months of speculation and anticipation, the NBA dropped the hammer on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday over their reported scheme to circumvent the salary cap for Kawhi Leonard.
And what a hammer it was. The league has stripped the Clippers of five first-round draft picks, fined owner Steve Ballmer $30 million, fined Leonard $700,000 and suspended Ballmer, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and president of business operations Gillian Zucker.
It is a team-changing blow to LA, which many have noted also gave up five first-rounders, two pick swaps and future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a trade for Paul George at Leonard's request.
The Clippers have already released a statement rejecting the NBA's findings and promising to challenge them. It remains to be seen how that will play out, but the NBA has certainly thrown down a harsh first move.
But how harsh is it compared to other cheating scandals in recent sports history? Let's compare the Clippers' sanctions to the bites other teams have received for bending the rules for a competitive advantage in recent sports history, which we are cutting off at the year 2000.
#fined #operations
And what a hammer it was. The league has stripped the Clippers of five first-round draft picks, fined owner Steve Ballmer $30 million, fined Leonard $700,000 and suspended Ballmer, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and president of business operations Gillian Zucker.
It is a team-changing blow to LA, which many have noted also gave up five first-rounders, two pick swaps and future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a trade for Paul George at Leonard's request.
The Clippers have already released a statement rejecting the NBA's findings and promising to challenge them. It remains to be seen how that will play out, but the NBA has certainly thrown down a harsh first move.
But how harsh is it compared to other cheating scandals in recent sports history? Let's compare the Clippers' sanctions to the bites other teams have received for bending the rules for a competitive advantage in recent sports history, which we are cutting off at the year 2000.
#fined #operations
4 hours ago
