They say all publicity is good publicity, but Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is certainly going to disagree. The former Microsoft CEO has found himself in heaps of controversy following the alleged Kawhi Leonard scandal. If that wasn’t enough, more reports have resurfaced of the faulty dealings he made since taking over the Clippers.
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No one can deny that Ballmer is an extremely passionate person. Fans can find the eccentric owner courtside, jumping and screaming all throughout a Clippers game. It doesn’t even matter if they are playing the Los Angeles Lakers or the Washington Wizards. That passion has, however, fueled his off-court dealings, such as contract negotiations.
Building an NBA team is similar to any company. Camraderie is a very important aspect for any championship contender or business. Ballmer looked to prioritize that element of the team ahead of the 2019-20 season.
In the same offseason, the Clippers landed Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the heart and soul of the team, but at the time, Patrick Beverley was a free agent. Ballmer and the Clippers could’ve let him walk, but knew how important he was to their core. So they eventually retained the three-time All-Defensive guard to a three-year $40 million deal.
To most people, that seems like a great contract for Beverley. However, the story behind the contract is much more interesting than has been let on.
“I got like a three-year $50 million from Sacramento,” Beverley said on the Pat Bev Podcast in 2024. “But I wanted to stay on the Clippers. I take the three-year $40 million from the Clippers. Steve Ballmer goes like, ‘With that, I’m going to give you 94 basketball courts that you could choose to put all around LA.”
Beverley was blown away by Ballmer’s offer. Although he left $10 million on the table to stay in Los Angeles, receiving that privilege made the decision all the more worth it. However, not everything that glitters is always gold.
“I think they built two of them and then COVID hit. So, I hit my agent like, ‘What’s up with those 92 basketball courts?'” Beverley revealed.
Beverley’s gut feeling suggested he wasn’t going to hear the answer he hoped for. He then began to notice some of the Clippers’ other actions, which solidified his earlier premonition.
“I see they just built the arena worth $2 billion. And we shook on it, too,” Beverley said.
Unfortunately, Beverley never received the remaining 92 basketball courts he looked forward to helping establish. Fast forward to the team’s recent controversy, Ballmer’s statements continue to attract suspicion, especially since he has reportedly lied about contract details in the past.
Nevertheless, Pat Bev remains open-minded to working with the Clippers to fulfil the rest of their promise with him. Whether that ends up happening or not, is up in the air.
