The NBA came down hard on the Los Angeles Clippers this week over the alleged cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard.
The team is fined $30 million, owner Steve Ballmer is suspended for a year, and the Clippers will lose their next five first-round picks. This news seemingly came out of nowhere due to recent reporting by insiders at ESPN.
ESPN Misled Fans About True Nature of NBA Investigation into Clippers
Several top ESPN NBA insiders dropped a story August 17 claiming the NBA found no evidence of any cap circumvention on the part of the Clippers.
The NBA has found no evidence that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money through team sponsors to pay Kawhi Leonard and circumvent the salary cap, sources told @DVNJr, @Baxter and @ramonashelburne.
Full story: https://t.co/jC7wTReBoe pic.twitter.com/tW660aDqiR
— ESPN (@espn) August 17, 2026
The article featured bylines from Don Van Natta Jr., Baxter Holmes, and Ramona Shelburne. This seemed to put the story to rest, only for the massive punishments to be announced Wednesday.
The initial ESPN story was according to “sources,” who clearly did not have their facts right. The story is still up on ESPN.com and one argument for the reporters is they claimed the NBA found no evidence of Ballmer “funneling” money to Leonard. That wording may be why the story is still live.
Yet the prominence of ESPN and the way the story was presented did make it seem as if the investigation was complete with no major findings. That is not a good look for the network at a time when layoffs are being announced and Pat McAfee is seemingly being placed on every single program possible.
ESPN is facing plenty of criticism over its coverage and this will only continue that trend.
