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Clippers hit with penalties

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By The Associated Press 2 min read
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Balmer heads to a courtside seat to watch the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year by the NBA, and the team was ordered to forfeit five first-round draft picks and pay a $30 million fine for violating salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving Kawhi Leonard.

Also, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has been banned for six months and team president of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year.

Leonard was hit with a $700,000 penalty. The league's decision follows a nearly yearlong investigation. The penalties reflect the league's firm stance on maintaining fair play and financial integrity. The Clippers say they will challenge the decision.

Pegula happy to move on

NEW YORK -- At a rainy U.S. Open where it's a struggle to even finish the first round, Jessica Pegula was happy to quickly be into the third.

The No. 3 seed needed only 56 minutes on Wednesday to defeat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, beat Venus Williams in her first match.

Some players won't get there for a while. With rain coming down for a second day in New York, play was suspended again for a time on outside courts, allowing only play under the roofs in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium to continue uninterrupted.

No. 8 seed Ben Shelton followed Pegula on Ashe and beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5, while No. 7 Daniil Medvedev raced past Sebastian Gorzny -- except for a brief delay to protest the chair umpire's decision to replay a point when two birds sat on the net -- 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Starting at /week.