Monday was a wild one for the LA Clippers, as both the NBA and the team itself had to drop statements about an ongoing, deeply serious investigation into possible salary-cap circumvention. This whole messy situation got even messier after ESPN, with a report from Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes, and Ramona Shelburne, claimed the league “found no evidence” that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer used corporate sponsors to secretly pay Kawhi Leonard more than his max salary. Sounds like a clear slate, right? Nope. Not even close.
The League Contradicts ESPN, Says Investigation Isn’t Done
Hold up, because NBA spokesman Mike Bass wasted no time shooting down ESPN’s story, stating it “contains numerous and significant inaccuracies.” Talk about a cold splash of reality! So much for a clean bill of health. The league isn’t playing around here, making it crystal clear that their full investigation is absolutely *not* complete. This isn’t just a minor disagreement; it’s a direct challenge to ESPN’s reporting and it screams that there are still serious questions hanging over the Clippers. You gotta wonder what kind of specific “inaccuracies” Bass is talking about.
Clippers Maintain Their Innocence Amidst The Cloud
Meanwhile, the Clippers are sticking to their guns, too. Their official statement flat-out denies everything. They said they “did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard, arrange for others to compensate him on our behalf, or otherwise provide him with undisclosed compensation outside of his NBA contract.” Look, it’s what you’d expect them to say, but with the NBA itself saying the investigation is still open and ESPN’s report is way off, this whole thing feels like it’s just getting started. It’s a huge cloud hanging over that organization, and honestly, you can’t help but wonder what else is going to drop.
This story is far from over, and you know we’ll be watching every twist and turn as the league continues to dig into what really went down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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