Adam Silver: Clippers will retain All-Star Game despite investigation

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league has no plans to move All-Star Weekend away from the Los Angeles Clippers' new arena while it investigates whether the team violated salary-cap rules related to Kawhi Leonard.

"There's no contemplation of moving the All-Star Game," Silver said Monday at NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Conn. "Planning for the All-Star Game and the surrounding activities are operating completely independently of the ongoing investigation."

The league launched an investigation last month after journalist Pablo Torre reported a $28 million "no-show" endorsement deal between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a California sustainability company that filed for bankruptcy this year. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had previously invested $50 million in Aspiration, and the team entered into a $300 million partnership with the company in September 2021.

If investigators determine cap rules were skirted, the NBA's penalties can include fines up to $7.5 million, voiding contracts and forfeiting future draft picks.

Silver's comments came as NBC discussed its return as an NBA broadcaster this season. NBC is slated to televise the All-Star Game from the Intuit Dome on Feb. 15.

The league awarded the 2026 All-Star Weekend to the Clippers in January 2024, months before their new arena opened for the 2024-25 season. The Inglewood venue is also scheduled to stage basketball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

--Field Level Media