Monday brought us a rare instance of a sports league publicly disputing one of its media partners in the form of the NBA and ESPN.
ESPN reported early Monday that the NBA’s investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers found no evidence that owner Steve Ballmer funneled money to Kawhi Leonard through shady sponsorship deals. That seemingly confirmed that the Clippers, or at the very least Ballmer, would not face significant punishment as part of the investigation.
The NBA took the unusual step of publicly disputing that report. In a statement, league spokesman Mike Bass said the story “contains numerous and significant inaccuracies.”
NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/iEBGJd51fv
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 17, 2026
ESPN stood by its reporting and noted that the league had refused various requests for comment.
An ESPN spokesman sent this statement to @TheAthletic: “We stand by our reporting, which included numerous attempts by ESPN to get comment from the NBA.” https://t.co/WneRulwdH9
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 17, 2026
The league undoubtedly does not want the outcome of the Clippers investigation to leak to the media in bits and pieces. When the initial allegations spread, reports suggested that NBA owners wanted to see the Clippers punished harshly if they proved to be true. The league does not want to give off the impression that the Clippers are getting off lightly, or getting away with it entirely.
There remains no public timetable for when the league will release its findings. Recent reports have indicated that a negotiated settlement between the Clippers and the league is seen as the most likely outcome.
