The Los Angeles Clippers are facing one of the biggest setbacks in franchise history after the NBA handed down severe penalties following its investigation into the team’s dealings involving Kawhi Leonard.
The punishment has already changed the conversation around the Clippers, but Stephen A. Smith’s explosive reaction has added another layer to an increasingly damaging situation for the organization.
NBA Hands Clippers One of Its Harshest Punishments
The NBA announced on September 2 that its independent investigation found a “pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations” involving the Clippers and Leonard.
According to the league, Los Angeles helped facilitate off-court income opportunities for Leonard through companies that did business with the team, including Aspiration Partners, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics and Lockton Insurance. The NBA also found that personal expenses were paid on behalf of Leonard and his representatives.
The consequences were enormous. The Clippers were stripped of five first-round draft picks, covering the 2029 through 2033 drafts, and fined $30 million. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year, while basketball operations president Lawrence Frank received a six-month suspension and business operations president Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year.
Leonard himself was fined $700,000, while his former business manager Dennis Robertson received a five-year ban from NBA-related business dealings.
Stephen A. Smith Questions the Entire Kawhi Gamble
Smith did not hold back when discussing the NBA’s ruling, specifically questioning why the Clippers would take such a massive risk for Leonard rather than a player he believes would have justified it more easily.
“This is some all time egregious stuff. I take it back all time stupid stuff. Why is it stupid? Because it was for Kawhi Leonard, not LeBron James. If this was for LeBron James, I understand. If this was for Steph Curry, I understand. Kawhi Leonard? You did that for Kawhi Leonard? And remember, this is dating back to like 2023. He had already been injured a few times since arriving with the Clippers that already going nowhere. You did this for him? For him? It’s a new form of stupidity. And I don’t know if the Clippers will ever recover from this. This is catastrophic. This is so bad.”
“This is some all time egregious stuff. I take it back all time stupid stuff. Why is it stupid? Because it was for Kawhi Leonard, not LeBron James. If this was for LeBron James, I understand. If this was for Steph Curry, I understand. Kawhi Leonard? You did that
The larger point behind Smith’s comments is not necessarily that Leonard was never good enough to justify the Clippers’ investment. Leonard arrived in Los Angeles as one of the NBA’s premier stars, coming off a championship and Finals MVP run with Toronto.
The issue is what the Clippers ultimately risked in relation to what they received. Los Angeles now has fewer first-round picks for a critical stretch of its future, while the organization must deal with the reputational damage created by the ruling.
The NBA has also placed the franchise under a five-year compliance and monitoring program.
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Saga Takes Dramatic Turn as LeBron, Steph Comparison Emerges