NBA Penalizes Clippers Over Blake Griffin Handshake Deal

The league suspended two team executives and fined the organization after investigating a forced handshake attempt.

Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Basketball

NBA Penalizes Clippers Over Blake Griffin Handshake Deal

Live Poll

Should professional teams prioritize public image over the personal preferences and routines of their players?

The NBA suspended Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and executive Gillian Zucker for one year without pay following a probe into a 2019 game incident. The league also stripped the franchise of five first-round draft picks and imposed a $30 million fine.

Why it matters

The sanctions address management conduct regarding an attempted public handshake between Ballmer and former star Blake Griffin, which the team sought to orchestrate for promotional purposes following Griffin's 2018 trade.

In his first game against his former team on January 12, 2019, Blake Griffin scored 44 points to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 109-104 victory. The Clippers had previously committed to a five-year contract with Griffin in 2017.

The players

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin is a former NBA player who spent his early career with the Los Angeles Clippers before being traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer is the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers who was suspended by the NBA for his role in the handshake incident.

Gillian Zucker

Gillian Zucker is a Clippers executive who requested that Blake Griffin participate in the public handshake with the team owner.

The details

Blake Griffin recounted that the organization, through an agent, requested he participate in a public handshake with Steve Ballmer at the Staples Center before tip-off. Griffin declined the request after having been traded to the Pistons via a Twitter notification the previous year.

The Clippers held a mock jersey retirement for Griffin in summer 2017.
The team traded Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in January 2018.
Griffin played against the Clippers at Staples Center on January 12, 2019.
The NBA suspended Ballmer and Zucker and fined the team on September 2, 2026.

Season Trajectory

The removal of five first-round draft picks significantly alters the franchise's long-term rebuilding strategy and trade capital availability. This massive forfeiture follows a pattern of aggressive league intervention regarding executive conduct established by the 2014 Donald Sterling lifetime ban.

The loss of five first-round picks effectively prevents the Clippers from engaging in significant draft-based talent acquisition for multiple seasons. This penalty creates an immediate talent-acquisition deficit that may force the organization to rely solely on free agency.

The takeaway

This case highlights the NBA's strict stance on the separation between basketball operations and promotional interference. Executives and owners must maintain professional boundaries to avoid league-imposed penalties that can cripple a team's future roster flexibility.