American businessman and investor; former Microsoft CEO; Clippers owner
The NBA is investigating potential salary-cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard, Aspiration, and the Los Angeles Clippers. The inquiry has paused a planned return to Toronto and a Raptors trade, with findings due this summer.
The NBA has found misconduct by the Clippers tied to off‑court income deals for Kawhi Leonard, resulting in five first‑round picks forfeited between 2029 and 2033, a $30 million fine, and suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer and team executives. Leonard has expressed responsibility for lapses and is focusing on the future after the situation. The league notes ongoing compliance monitoring for five years.
The NFL has staged its first regular-season game in Australia, selling out Melbourne’s 100,000-seat MCG and signaling a long-term push into the Asia-Pacific region. The Rams host the 49ers in a high-profile clash that tests logistics, fan demand, and future scheduling.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has published an essay calling for a deliberate slowdown in frontier AI development and has committed Anthropic to embed third‑party evaluators with employee‑level access. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk have publicly backed the proposal, markets and lawmakers are reacting, and President Donald Trump has rejected a slowdown.
The Clippers have faced a sweeping NBA punishment including a $30 million fine, five first-round picks forfeited, and a one-year suspension for Ballmer. Ballmer has publicly apologized, stating the team is complying with penalties and focusing on moving forward as Leonard’s trade to Toronto remains on hold pending the investigation.