Clippers fined $250K by league for Jordan pitch
NEW YORK — The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $250,000 after an investigation found the team had violated league rules while trying to re-sign DeAndre Jordan last month.
The league said Tuesday that the Clippers had made a presentation to the then-free agent on July 2 that improperly included a potential third-party endorsement opportunity. League rules prohibit teams from arranging for others to provide compensation for a player unless it is included in a contract or is otherwise permitted by the collective bargaining agreement.
The NBA said the endorsement opportunity didn’t impact Jordan’s decision to re-sign with the Clippers.
A source told ESPN’s Darren Rovell that the presentation the Clippers gave happened before Jordan even went to visit Dallas, so it didn’t have an impact on his decision, and he didn’t wind up doing the sponsorship deal.
Jordan eventually decided to stay with the Clippers after initially verbally committing to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Charlotte Hornets are also cognizant of the rule as team owner Michael Jordan cannot decide which NBA players get Jordan brand shoe deals.
Information from ESPN’s Darren Rovell and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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