The probe comes just days after the NBA dropped a staggering punishment on the Clippers, fining the team $30 million, suspending owner Steve Ballmer for one year and stripping the franchise of five first-round draft picks.
President of business operations Gillian Zucker (one year) and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank (six months) were also suspended for their role in the scandal.
Leonard was forced to pay the NBA $700,000 for his connection with the Clippers’ violations, while his uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, has been banned by the NBA from all business dealings for five years.
It wasn’t clear as of Thursday what possible crimes federal prosecutors are investigating, or which people are the target of the federal inquiry.
Spokesmen for the Clippers and the NBA didn’t respond to messages from the California Post asking about the investigation.
The Clippers aren’t taking the league’s punishment lying down.
The team says it intends to “vigorously challenge” the NBA’s findings and penalties.
But now the stakes are considerably higher.
What began as a dispute over NBA rules has moved into the realm of a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors.
The league has already delivered a massive blow to the franchise; the federal probe threatens to turn the controversy into an even bigger crisis.
At the center of the allegations is Leonard, a two-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP and seven-time All-Star widely recognized as one of the greatest two-way players in basketball history.
