SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now it's time for sports.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SIMON: Choppy waters ahead for the LA Clippers. The Green Bay Packers look like a cheddar juggernaut. And welcome, Ambassador Rizzo. Joining me from Chicago - sports reporter Michele Steele. Michele, thanks so much for being with us.
MICHELE STEELE: You bet, Scott, good morning.
SIMON: The NBA is investigating the LA Clippers for possibly circumventing the salary cap so they can pay Kawhi Leonard $28 million, even above the millions he was getting paid. Another sports team owner controversy. I am shocked, shocked.
STEELE: (Laughter).
SIMON: What's the latest?
STEELE: Yeah, and here's another shocking detail. It involves the Clippers. The whole reason that Steve Ballmer...
SIMON: Right.
STEELE: ...Owns the team - right, Scott? - is because the last guy, Don Sterling, caught in a scandal. He had to sell. And one of the 10 richest men in the world, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, happened to be around and had a couple billion dollars to buy the team. So, you know, there's a lot of rich guys who own NBA teams. And one way to even the playing field between the filthy rich and just, you know, your run-of-the-mill rich guy, is that the NBA has something called a salary cap.
So stick with me here. It gets a little bit in the weeds. But in an effort to re-sign Kawhi Leonard, who's a very, very good player, to an extension in 2021, a journalist, Pablo Torre, found evidence that a company Ballmer made a hefty investment in just happened to contract Kawhi for an endorsement deal that strangely did not require him to actually do anything.
SIMON: Right.
STEELE: Yeah. And this is in addition to the $40 million in actual salary the team was paying him. Now, that $40 million does count against the salary cap, but there's no evidence the team let the NBA know that all this was happening on the side. Now, I should mention Ballmer has denied he knew anything untoward was happening. And he says he got conned.
SIMON: It could be serious for basketball, couldn't it?
STEELE: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, there's a reason that the NBA has a CBA, a collective bargaining agreement, and there's very harsh penalties if teams are found to circumvent the salary cap. You know, there could be a fine. You could forfeit future draft picks. You could void the player's contract entirely. That would throw the roster into disarray completely. And there's also the possibility of a punishment levied on Steve Ballmer. Now, he's not going to get a lifetime ban like Don Sterling did. But, you know, if you remember Glen Taylor of the Timberwolves, he was suspended for nine months for his role in a salary cap violation. So that would be a big deal, even for a guy that's got as much money as Steve Ballmer does.
SIMON: So the NFL, quickly - the Pack is back, you think?
STEELE: (Laughter) Yes. Yes. I'm in Chicago, and I regret to inform Bears fans that, yes, the Pack is indeed back. Boy, did they look dominant against the Commanders Thursday night. Now they're 2-0. And just to put that in context, they're the first team in NFL history to start the season 2-0 by beating two playoff teams from the last year in just a five-day span. And you know what, Scott, I can't think of too many other places that the Lombardi Trophy might feel at home than...
SIMON: (Laughter) Yeah, exactly.
STEELE: ...Than they.
SIMON: Finally, Anthony Rizzo, who caught the peg to first base for the final out of the first Chicago Cubs World Series title in 108 years, returns to Wrigley today to retire as a Cub and take on a new role. I know I should be impartial, but I can't hold this back anymore.
STEELE: (Laughter).
SIMON: Boy, I love Anthony Rizzo and our daughter's favorite Major League ballplayer.
STEELE: I can't think of a Chicago Cubs fan that doesn't love Anthony Rizzo. And who wouldn't love Anthony Rizzo? He's not from here, but he'll always be one of us, so to speak. He was, absolutely, Scott, that heart of the team that broke the 108-year-old championship drought in 2016. He'll come back to Wrigley to retire today. He's going to sign a one-day contract. And he was asked if he was going to take an at-bat today, you know, given that...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Technicality. He actually said he'd love to, but he's going to sit in the bleachers and try to start one of those beer cup snakes and start a rally there. But I love that he's going to remain associated with the team, and the team gets to keep their connection to really a beloved figure in Chicago.
SIMON: Absolutely. Michele Steele, thanks so much.
STEELE: See you next time. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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