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Steve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandal

Steve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandal
The Verge Thursday 03 September 2026, 23:37 UTC By Richard Lawler 1 min read
Key Points

INGLEWOOD, CA - JULY 19: A view of Halo Board inside the Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers new arena, during a press preview on July 19, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Last September, Steve Ballmer insisted in an ESPN interview that the Clippers weren't involved in a shady-looking $28 million endorsement deal for his star player, Kawhi Leonard, that involved no actual endorsing. Now, the former...

INGLEWOOD, CA - JULY 19: A view of Halo Board inside the Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers new arena, during a press preview on July 19, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Last September, Steve Ballmer insisted in an ESPN interview that the Clippers weren't involved in a shady-looking $28 million endorsement deal for his star player, Kawhi Leonard, that involved no actual endorsing. Now, the former Microsoft CEO has been suspended by the NBA for a year, while the league says his team will forfeit five future draft picks and pay a $30 million fine, among other penalties.

A year later, an NBA-commissioned 35-page report by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is basically calling him a liar, saying those claims were "inaccurate (at best) with respect to Mr. Ballmer" and "clearly false" when it came to Clippers presi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Steve Ballmer (PERSON) NBA (ORG) INGLEWOOD (ORG) Halo Board (ORG) the Intuit Dome (LOCATION) the Los Angeles Clippers (ORG) California (LOCATION) Jevone Moore/Icon (ORG) Getty Images (ORG) ESPN (ORG) Clippers (ORG) Kawhi Leonard (PERSON) Microsoft (ORG) Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen &amp (ORG) Katz (PERSON)
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