John Gibson, a trial lawyer from Los Angeles, has been appointed as the LA Clippers’ temporary governor and CEO.
Gibson was nominated by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who is facing a one-year suspension due to the NBA’s investigation into claims of salary cap circumvention involving the team’s former star Kawhi Leonard. The NBA accepted Gibson on Monday following a vetting procedure.
In addition to being a trial attorney and a season ticket holder for the Clippers, Gibson was a litigation partner at DLA Piper in Los Angeles. He attended the University of Michigan Law School and Harvard.
In a statement, Gibson said:
“I am honored to take on this responsibility and grateful for the opportunity to serve an organization I have supported for many years,”
After a nearly year-long investigation by the legal firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Gibson joined the Clippers almost three weeks after the NBA imposed its toughest punishment ever on the franchise. In addition to suspending Ballmer, the NBA fined him $30 million, forfeited five first-round draft picks, and suspended team officials Gillian Zucker and Lawrence Frank.
In addition, Leonard received a $700,000 fine. Although there are still issues with the results, Ballmer recently acknowledged the NBA’s sentence, stating in part:
“We are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine and are moving forward.”
