Clippers Begin Season With Rout, Honor Absent Owner Ballmer

WHO:

RealGM Basketball - Clippers coach Tyronn Lue dedicated the team’s opening win to owner Steve Ballmer.

ESPN - Darius Garland led the Clippers with 30 points; veteran center Brook Lopez discussed Ballmer’s absence.

RealGM Basketball - Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker received a one-year ban; president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank received a six-month ban.

ESPN - John Gibson was filling Ballmer’s roles as CEO and governor on an interim basis.

RealGM Basketball; ESPN - Kawhi Leonard was traded from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick were among the players involved in the return.

WHAT:

ESPN - Darius Garland said Ballmer was “here in spirit,” adding that someone sat in Ballmer’s seats and the team felt the energy.

ESPN - Tyronn Lue said Ballmer was “one of the best men that I know” and that he had “provided a great living for everyone in this arena.”

ESPN - Brook Lopez said he missed Ballmer’s enthusiasm at home games, including his fist-pumping, yelling, and interactions with referees.

ESPN - The Clippers opened their season by beating the Sacramento Kings 121-96 in front of 17,927 fans at Intuit Dome.

RealGM Basketball; ESPN - Lue said, “First off, that win was for Mr. Ballmer,” thanked him, and said, “we’re still fighting for him.”

RealGM Basketball - The NBA banned Ballmer for the season and barred contact with the Clippers; the article says he will not return until the 2027-28 season.

ESPN - Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities. The NBA found the Clippers violated salary-cap circumvention rules and said Ballmer knowingly sought to help Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities.

RealGM Basketball; ESPN - The Clippers were fined $30 million and lost five first-round draft picks. ESPN specifies that the picks were consecutive selections from 2029 through 2033.

RealGM Basketball - Ballmer and the Clippers chose not to challenge the penalties; Ballmer apologized and said owners should not distract their teams. ESPN reported that the Clippers had paid the fine.

RealGM Basketball - Ingram was out indefinitely while recovering from a partially torn Achilles; Dick scored 12 points off the bench.

RealGM Basketball - Leonard, who was fined $700,000, scored a game-high 23 points in 24 minutes in his Raptors debut, a 135-92 win over the Chicago Bulls.

WHERE:

ESPN - The season opener was played at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

ESPN - Ballmer privately financed the $2 billion arena, which opened in 2024 and hosted the All-Star Game in February.

WHY:

ESPN - The NBA’s suspension followed its finding that the Clippers violated salary-cap circumvention rules involving Leonard.

HOW:

ESPN - The Clippers’ season-opening free-parking offer was described as a mea culpa.

ESPN - Ballmer’s suspension kept him away from league and team activities, with no phone calls or texts permitted, according to the article.

ESPN - Gibson spoke with Lue before the game in place of Ballmer, who had regularly met with the coach shortly before home-game tipoffs.

ESPN - The Clippers offered free parking for the season opener.

The Clippers opened their season with a 121-to-96 win over Sacramento, dedicating it to owner Steve Ballmer, who was suspended for the season. The NBA found the team violated salary-cap rules by helping Kawhi Leonard pursue off-court income opportunities. The penalties include a $30 million fine and the loss of five first-round picks, consecutive selections from 2029 through 2033. Ballmer and the team did not challenge the penalties, and the Clippers paid the fine. Coach Tyronn Lue thanked Ballmer, while Darius Garland said he was “here in spirit”; Garland led the Clippers with 30 points. John Gibson is handling Ballmer’s duties on an interim basis, and executives Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank also received suspensions. Leonard, now with Toronto, scored 23 points in his Raptors debut, a 135-to-92 win over Chicago.