Former NBA player Patrick Beverley recalled the time LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer gave him false hope. Back when Beverley agreed to sign a three-year deal worth $40 million with the Clippers, Ballmer offered the tenacious guard an opportunity to build 94 basketball courts around Los Angeles.
While initially Ballmer did live up to his promise, allowing Beverley to build two basketball courts, the other 92 never came to fruition after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.
“So I take the three-year $40 million from the Clippers,” Beverley said. “We agree to the three-year $40 million and Steve Ballmer goes ‘With that I’m going to give you 94 basketball courts that you could choose to put all around LA.’ That’s fire as f**k.”
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"I think they built two of them and then COVID hit," Beverley continued. "So I hit my agent like 'What's up with those 92 basketball courts? ... Do I get my 92 courts?' And we shook on it too."
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Steve Ballmer's false promises to Patrck Beverley were one of the first red flags he had as an owner that were made public. Fast forward to the present day, Ballmer might've brought himself into deep water after attempting to circumvent the Clippers' salary cap this season.
According to reports, the Clippers organization offered Kawhi Leonard $28 million for a "no-show job." While Ballmer thinks his strategy is smart, it's going against the NBA rules. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the rest of the association will investigate the situation, with Ballmer confidently welcoming the idea, as he believes that he hasn't committed such a crime.
Patrick Beverley nearly completed NBA comeback
It's been an entire season since we last saw Patrick Beverley play on an NBA court. The last time Beverley played for the league was back in the 2023-24 season when he was signed to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Patrick Beverley then moved on to play for other leagues such as the EuroCup. But then, in February, Beverley called it quits with Israel in hopes of coming back to the NBA. With Pat Bev's name in the NBA free agency market, apparently, he nearly signed a deal with the Houston Rockets.
"I was this close to signing with the Rockets," said Beverley. "That's why I have been in Houston. I've been in Houston working out for the Rockets for the last two to three weeks. I was really close, but with the cap, they don't have a lot of space, which means they can't really guarantee because I think they're at the first apron."
Despite not finding a home in the league yet, Patrick Beverley still has a little over a month to secure himself an NBA team before the 2025-26 season commences.
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