Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer believes his franchise will lose at least $10 million due to the NBA hiatus.
The NBA suspended the season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Ballmer did an interview with Bloomberg where he talked about the financial loss the Clippers are going to take.
As transcribed by Garrett Chorpenning of Sports Illustrated:
“It'll be eight digits. Now you've got to start with what we were either going to make or lose before the season started, but net, it'll certainly be an eight-digit loss for us,” Ballmer said.
“We're being diligent about continuing to pay our employees. We're trying to take care of our smaller vendors. We had a t-shirt vendor we had $100,000 committed to for playoff t-shirts. I think it's important that we pay that money, put it down now, and see what can happen over time since we are in a better position.”
The Clippers had the second-best record in the Western Conference standings prior to play being suspended. The team had an impressive record of 44-20.
The Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL joined together to establish a fund for Staples Center employees shortly after sports were canceled. NBA owners are hopeful of resuming the season in the summer if the coronavirus dies down, but the virus continues to spread across the U.S., so the odds don't look too good at the moment.
The Clippers were title contenders this season for the first time in franchise history. They were led by All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
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