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As Clippers owner Steve Ballmer serves a one-year suspension for salary cap circumvention, Suns owner Mat Ishbia told Front Office Sports he likes Ballmer as an owner, even while praising the NBA’s handling of its investigation into the Clippers.
“I think Steve probably regrets what he did,” Ishbia told FOS editor-in-chief Dan Roberts on an upcoming episode of Portfolio Players. “I’m sure Steve realized he made a mistake. It doesn’t make me not like Steve. I think Steve Ballmer’s a great owner. He’s going to do great things. He’s a great part of the NBA. I know he’s on a year suspension. He’ll be back and hopefully have an impact in a positive way.”
“Obviously we’re all very competitive and want to win, and so I get it, I understand the mindset,” Ishbia added. “But we’ve got to follow the rules as much as we can. That was a misstep by Steve.”
Ballmer’s suspension stems from a no-show endorsement deal Kawhi Leonard signed with failed environmental startup Aspiration worth millions of dollars, which was first uncovered in September 2025 by the journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre.
The NBA enlisted the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate the allegations, and in September it announced that the Clippers had illegally circumvented the salary cap. In addition to suspending Ballmer, the league stripped the team of five first-round picks and fined it $30 million. The Department of Justice is also investigating Leonard and the Clippers.
“I think Adam Silver did a fantastic job managing it, leading, and punishing someone, and setting the tone that, ‘Listen, we have rules for a reason. We’re going to follow the rules, and if you’re not going to follow the rules, there are going to be severe consequences to make sure that no one thinks about doing that again,’” Ishbia said.
Ishbia, the CEO and chairman of United Wholesale Mortgage, bought the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury in 2023 for a then-NBA-record $4 billion.
Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, bought the Clippers in 2014 for a then-NBA-record $2 billion after Silver banned former owner Donald Sterling for life following leaked racist audio recordings. He spearheaded the construction of the Intuit Dome, a $2 billion arena which opened in 2024.
Ishbia said Ballmer’s behavior fell on the “extreme” side of the salary cap circumvention spectrum, but noted other owners probably commit less severe violations such as buying birthday gifts for players that exceed the NBA’s limit.
“Do I think there’s little things like that that probably happen? I’m sure there are,” Ishbia said. “But the extreme that we talked about with Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers, I don’t see anyone doing that kind of stuff … I don’t think anyone would do it again now, knowing what happened.”
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