Investigative sports journalist Pablo Torre has received widespread acclaim for digging into alleged salary cap circumvention by the Los Angeles Clippers in the franchise’s acquisition of superstar forward Kawhi Leonard.
On Monday, ESPN reported that the NBA’s investigation into the matter was wrapping up and that it had been determined that there was no evidence that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money to Leonard via third-party “sponsorships.”
Following the report, one former NBA star is letting Torre hear it.
“So does Pablo Torre get any fine, backlash, sued, or fired for trying to ruin people’s reputation/ life or Pablo can just say oops my bad and sweep it under the rug,” Ty Lawson posted on X.
So does Pablo Torre get any fine , backlash, sued or fired for Trying to ruin people’s reputation/ life or Pablo can just say oops my bad and sweep it under the rug
smh https://t.co/thjnjHJA4v
— Ty Lawson (@TyLawson3) August 17, 2026
Far from over
Lawson’s sentiment was a popular one online, but may be premature. Hours after ESPN’s report, the NBA released an official statement on the matter.
“ESPN’s article regarding the LA Clippers investigation — for which the NBA declined to cooperate — contains numerous and significant inaccuracies,” the statement, attributed to spokesman Mike Bass, read. “The results in this matter will be made clear once the investigation is concluded.”
ESPN contacted Awful Announcing and stood by its initial reporting, but it’s clear that this is far from over. Torre himself has already confirmed that he’s not finished on the matter.
“When the time is right: I am extremely, extremely excited for our episode about this,” he posted on X.
It’ll be fascinating to see where this story goes. If ESPN’s report is right, and the Clippers, Ballmer, and Leonard all come out of this relatively unscathed, do you think Torre should face any backlash, legal or otherwise, or be forced to issue a public apology?
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