Journalist Pablo Torre played quite a major part in bringing about the NBA's official investigation into Kawhi Leonard and Los Angeles Clippers governor Steve Ballmer.
Basically a year ago to the day, Torre reported on his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out that Leonard allegedly signed a $28 million endorsement deal for a "no-show" job that was seemingly done to circumvent the salary cap during his time with the Clippers. Not long after, the NBA launched an investigation into the Clippers, which left Leonard in a fascinating sort of limbo as Los Angeles agreed to trade the 35-year-old to the Toronto Raptors earlier this summer, but the deal was not made official as both teams waited for answers.
But on Wednesday, the NBA dropped a whopper of an announcement,
as they concluded their investigation with the news of heavy penalties coming Ballmer and the Clippers' way. While Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution for his involvement, he's not set to be suspended as a result of the NBA's probe. The Clippers, meanwhile, will have to forfeit five consecutive first-round draft picks among other massive penalties. Ballmer is set to pay a $30 million fine for his involvement alongside having to step away from all league and team activities for a year.
In the aftermath of the NBA's findings, Torre had just one emoji to say in response to the punishments handed out.
— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) September 2, 2026
"Hamburger" has become a popular meme with Torre and his show after a segment on his podcast about comedian Alonzo "Hamburger" Jones went viral.
Torre's reporting on the matter also earned praise from folks across the internet, including Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban.
Congrats Pablo. https://t.co/fOUfnbIlVw
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) September 2, 2026
Well done, Pablo!
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Pablo Torre had 1 emoji reaction to Kawhi Leonard investigation ending
