NEW YORK (AFP) – The Los Angeles Clippers have been fined $50,000 for tampering following recent comments from head coach Doc Rivers praising Toronto star Kawhi Leonard, the NBA announced Friday.
A brief statement from the NBA said the league had imposed the fine on the team following Rivers’ appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter program.
In the show, Rivers enthused about Leonard’s range of talents which have helped Toronto reach the NBA Finals for the first time, comparing the 27-year-old favorably to Michael Jordan.
“He is the most like Jordan that we’ve seen,” Rivers said during the show.
‘’There’s a lot of great players…. LeBron (James) is phenomenal, KD (Kevin Durant) is phenomenal. Not that [Kawhi] is Jordan or anything like that, but he is the most like him,” Rivers added.
