Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer may be holding the immediate future of the NBA in his hands. The league is investigating accusations that Ballmer violated salary cap rules, and some analysts believe rival teams won’t stay silent-even though he is one of the wealthiest owners in sports.
The drama has been building for months. Reports surfaced alleging Ballmer funneled $28 million to Kawhi Leonard through one of his companies, Aspiration. Since then, media outlets and analysts have scrutinized every detail of the controversy.
The truth may take time to surface. Insiders like Marc Stein of The All NBA Podcast claim that many owners worry Ballmer could escape punishment thanks to his staggering fortune, estimated at $131 billion.
NBA owners have a lot to consider
In the latest episode of his podcast, Stein suggested that team owners may be split into two camps: those who have engaged in similar maneuvers themselves, and those who want Commissioner Adam Silver to step in forcefully.
“There may be some owners in the room who say, ‘I don’t know if we want you to dig into this too hard,’ because who knows what team X, Y, or Z has done,”Stein explained.
“But I have a feeling there will be owners who are like, ‘We already can’t compete with these guys. Adam, what are you gonna do about this? How are you gonna look into this?'” he added, referring to next week’s Board of Governors meeting.
The Clippers deny wrongdoing
The Clippers, meanwhile, continue to deny any impropriety. Stein noted that the team’s front office dismissed the notion that Ballmer’s ties to Aspiration-a company that recently filed for bankruptcy-had any connection to
Leonard’s
contract.
Still, that stance may not be enough. According to Stein, Silver will soon face a wave of tough questions from the media, most of them centered on the Ballmer-Leonard controversy that has rocked the league from top to bottom.
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