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    "headline": "NBA Fines LA Clippers $30M and Bans Ballmer for Salary Cap Evasion",
    "dek": "The NBA fined the LA Clippers $30 million and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for violating salary cap rules.",
    "prose": "The NBA announced on Wednesday that the Los Angeles Clippers evaded the salary cap limit through concealed payments to star player Kawhi Leonard. [^1]\n\nThe NBA announced on Wednesday that the LA Clippers were sanctioned for violating rules that prohibit circumventing the salary cap during the contract signing of star player Kawhi Leonard. [^2]\n\nOwner Steve Ballmer will be suspended from all league and team activities for one year for approving a business deal that helped Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities. [^3]\n\nThe league found that the NBA star and the team violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement and engaged in a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations. [^4]\n\nThe NBA announced on Wednesday that it would impose sweeping punishments on the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard following an investigation into allegations of third-party off-court income opportunities. [^5]\n\nThe NBA imposed a $30 million fine on the Clippers organization, forfeiture of five first-round picks from 2029 to 2033, and a $700,000 fine on Leonard himself. [^6]\n\nThe NBA imposed a $30 million fine on the LA Clippers for violating salary cap circumvention rules. [^7]\n\nThe NBA released findings from a nearly yearlong investigation into the LA Clippers and Kawhi Leonard on September 2, 2026, determining that the organization violated salary cap circumvention rules. [^8]\n\nThe NBA announced on September 4, 2026, that the LA Clippers circumvented the salary cap in their deals involving Kawhi Leonard following an independent investigation. [^9]\n\nThe NBA stripped the LA Clippers of five first-round draft picks as part of the penalties for the Kawhi Leonard investigation. [^10]\n\nThe NBA ruled on September 3, 2026, that the LA Clippers violated the collective bargaining agreement by circumventing salary cap limits for Kawhi Leonard. [^11]\n\nKawhi Leonard was fined $700,000 for violating salary cap evasion rules through the conduct of his agent Dennis Robertson. [^12]",
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