The Clippers under federal investigation: a 30-million-dollar fine and five first-round picks stripped

What began as a salary cap violation in the NBA is now a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors in Brooklyn are examining whether Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers' management paid Kawhi Leonard through hidden sponsorship arrangements outside the salary cap - among them a deal with Aspiration, an environmental start-up that has since gone bankrupt. At least one subpoena has been issued. The NBA has already handed down the heaviest penalty in its history: a 30-million-dollar fine, five consecutive first-round picks stripped from 2029 to 2033, and a five-year monitoring programme. Ballmer received a one-year suspension, Leonard a 700,000-dollar fine, and his uncle and former manager Dennis Robertson a five-year ban from the NBA. The Clippers reject the sanctions and are announcing a lawsuit. When a league issues a record penalty and the federal prosecutor turns up anyway, that means the internal punishment was judged insufficient.

Dwight Howard moves to Georgia at 40

The eight-time NBA All-Star, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and 2020 champion with the Lakers continues his unusual world tour. From October Dwight Howard will play for Black Fortress Tbilisi, a club that has just been promoted to Georgia's top flight as champions of the second. He announced it himself, with a pun on his birthplace: "Georgia, I'm coming! I don't mean my native Atlanta." The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Howard played his last NBA game in 2022 for the Lakers, then passed through Taiwan, a tournament in Dubai and the American BIG3 league. A few months ago he entered the Hall of Fame. Measured by career, this is a drop of several levels - measured by the wish not to leave the court at 40, it is something else entirely.

Kuminga turned down the Lakers for Minnesota: "I want it to be long term"

Jonathan Kuminga has signed a two-year deal worth 13 million dollars with the Minnesota Timberwolves, having turned down a bigger offer from the Los Angeles Lakers. At his presentation he was careful: "I'd like it to be long term. I'm not going to predict what will happen. All I have to do is show up and do my job every day." The contract gives him the option to enter free agency again next summer. In Minnesota a wing role awaits him alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, and he says it was winning that drew him, not the money. It is rare for anyone to choose a team over a sum in a league where every contract is announced with the figure before the name. If the season goes badly, that same choice will be reread as a mistake.

MZT beat Bora 71:69, but Farahan came off with a knee injury

The reigning Macedonian champions overcame Kosovo's Bora 71:69 in a friendly that at times had the intensity of a competitive fixture. Vasko Atanasov's side played without international Petar Boshaleski, and Noah Farahan injured his knee right at the start. The club is awaiting detailed medical examinations, but the American's later movement offers hope that it is not serious. Top scorer was Warner with 21 points, followed by V. Stojanovski with 10 and Nikolic with 9. By quarters: 14:14, 15:20, 20:19, 22:16. Next up is the Zoran Petkovski-Petkoto Memorial Tournament on 16 and 17 September in Bitola. A one-point margin in a friendly means nothing. A foreign player clutching his knee in the opening minutes of pre-season means a great deal.

The Superleague starts on 3 and 4 October, the fixtures have been drawn

The Basketball Federation of Macedonia held a working meeting with the men's Superleague clubs and carried out the draw for the opening round. The new season begins on 3 and 4 October, and the first round brings: Strumica - Rabotnicki, Pelister - TFT, Skopje - Kozuv, MZT Skopje Aerodrom - MKK Kumanovo and Shtip - Tikvesh Golden Eagle. The meeting discussed the competition format and the organisation of the Super Cup, and the clubs were informed that the partnership with M-tel continues. There is a draw, there is a calendar, there is a sponsor. What gets tested every season only in February is how many of these clubs reach the end with the same roster and their wages paid.