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Tyronn Lue dedicates Clippers’ win on opening night to owner Steve Ballmer

The Clippers started off their year with a resounding win and a shout out to their banned owner.

By The Athletic NBA Staff · The Athletic

Published: Thursday, 22 October 2026 at 2:04 PM

Key Things to Know

Tyronn Lue dedicated the Clippers' opening-night win over Sacramento to banned owner Steve Ballmer.
The NBA banned Ballmer through the season with no team contact over Kawhi Leonard salary-cap violations.
The league fined the Clippers $30 million and stripped five future first-round draft picks.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue dedicated his team's opening-night victory against the Sacramento Kings to suspended owner Steve Ballmer. Speaking immediately after the win at Intuit Dome, Lue expressed gratitude toward Ballmer and declared that the team continues to fight for him during his enforced absence.

The NBA banned Ballmer for the season over cap-circumvention findings involving Kawhi Leonard, barring him from any team contact until 2027-28. The league also stripped five first-round picks, fined the Clippers $30 million, and suspended executives Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank.

Read the full article on The Athletic

Tyronn Lue dedicates Clippers’ win on opening night to owner Steve Ballmer

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