(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Clippers have named Los Angeles-based trial lawyer John Gibson as the team’s interim governor and CEO while owner Steve Ballmer serves his one-year NBA suspension.
Ballmer nominated Gibson for the position, and the NBA approved his appointment Monday following a vetting process. Gibson will oversee the Clippers’ basketball and business operations and represent the franchise in NBA governance matters.
“I am honored to take on this responsibility and grateful for the opportunity to serve an organization I have supported for many years,” Gibson said in a team statement. “My focus will be on supporting our people, providing steady leadership, and helping the organization continue moving forward.”
Gibson Has Longstanding Ties To Clippers
Gibson has been a longtime Clippers season-ticket holder and previously represented the franchise as lead trial counsel during the litigation surrounding Ballmer’s $2 billion purchase of the team from Donald Sterling in 2014.
He spent more than 35 years as a trial lawyer and was a litigation partner at DLA Piper in Los Angeles, where he also served as co-chair of the firm’s U.S. Business & Commercial Litigation practice.
Gibson is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan Law School. In 2025, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
His appointment gives the Clippers an interim governor with an established relationship with the organization as the franchise navigates a major transition.
Clippers Move Forward After NBA Penalties
Gibson takes over the governor role after the NBA suspended Ballmer for one year following its investigation into allegations of salary cap circumvention involving former Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.
The NBA also suspended Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker for one year and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months. The team received a $30 million fine and must forfeit five first-round picks between 2029 and 2033.
Leonard received a $700,000 fine for his involvement.
The NBA’s nearly yearlong investigation, conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found what the league described as a pattern of misconduct and multiple significant rules violations by the Clippers organization.
Ballmer initially disagreed with some of the league’s findings but later accepted the penalties and said the organization would move forward.
Gibson now steps into his new role as the Clippers work through the aftermath of the investigation and prepare for Ballmer’s eventual return.
