A soft-spoken Adam Silver discusses the NBA investigation of the Ballmer, Leonard, and Clippers scandal

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated on Wednesday that it will be the league's responsibility to demonstrate any irregularities in the investigation into a possible salary cap violation by Los Angeles Clippers, their owner Steve Ballmer, and the star player Kawhi Leonard.

"The burden is on the league if we are going to sanction a team, an owner, a player, or any member of the NBA," Silver declared during his annual press conference at the end of the board of governors' meetings in Manhattan. "As in any process that requires a fundamental sense of justice, the burden must be on the party that essentially brings the charges."

The investigation focuses on an alleged agreement between Leonard and the company Aspiration, a green bank that went bankrupt and in which Ballmer had invested. According to a former company employee, Leonard allegedly received $28 million for a "fictitious job" whose true purpose was to circumvent the salary cap.

Silver emphasized that the league must assess "all the evidence" and not act solely on "appearances." "I would be reluctant to act if it were just the appearance of wrongdoing. The goal of a thorough investigation is to determine if there was indeed a violation," he stated.

To conduct the process, the NBA hired the New York firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, although there is no defined timeline yet for reaching a conclusion.

Ongoing Investigation

The Commissioner also stressed that his broad powers in such situations do not mean that due process can be bypassed. "I've been in the league long enough to know that I am a firm believer in fairness and due process. We must now let the investigation take its course," he explained.

Silver also pointed out that most of the league's owners share that vision. "What they have expressed to me is a reserve judgment. They recognize that's what the league office and the Commissioner are for: to be an independent entity from the teams and ensure the integrity of the NBA," he said.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Un blandito Adam Silver habla de la investigación de la NBA del escándalo de Ballmer, Leonard y los Clippers