Xiao Hua talks about the Leonard incident: We must ensure fairness to the Clippers, and we must also clarify the entire incident

Hupu News on October 21 Recently, NBA President Adam Silver accepted an interview with Sports Illustrated.

"Sports Illustrated" asked: You once said that before judging whether the Clippers deliberately circumvented the salary cap, they need to see the "complete chain of evidence". Some team executives are asking, what exactly do you need to see to call a team a violation?

Xiao Hua answered: Someone once asked me whether indirect evidence is enough - just like in court, sometimes there is direct evidence, and sometimes indirect evidence is relied on. Of course, circumstantial evidence alone does not prevent us from making a judgment in favor of one party. But even circumstantial evidence requires looking at the whole picture. So this is not a formulaic judgment. We will check all submissions, including reasonable inferences drawn from the evidence.

Sports Illustrated asked: Do you expect this investigation to last a long time?

Xiao Hua responded: It is indeed impossible to predict at present. Based on past experience, this takes some time. As of now, although most of the sources are still anonymous, the number is considerable. There are also separate legal proceedings. The amount of evidence we need to review is considerable. The stakes are high, and as a league we must proceed with caution, both to ensure fairness to the Clippers and Steve Ballmer, and to fully clarify the entire story.