ESPN’s headlines included: “Ex-Aspiration CEO denies Kawhi Leonard signed no-show deal,” “Kawhi Leonard says allegations of no-show deal not accurate” and “NBA OK’d Clippers’ Aspiration sponsorship deal in 2021.”

But the story gained steam — and Torre added additional reports on similar deals to help buttress his initial reporting, which forced the NBA to launch a formal investigation that took nearly a year. (In May, Torre’s work on the Clippers story won him a Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting.)

Last month, an ESPN story that appeared to clear the Clippers by saying the league “found no evidence” of wrongdoing, was quickly contradicted by the NBA itself.

According to findings released Wednesday, the NBA had enough evidence of salary-cap violations involving the Clippers and Leonard to warrant a stiff punishment, stripping the team of five first round draft picks, imposing a $30 million fine and suspending Ballmer and two other Clippers front office executives for a year. Leonard was also forced to give back $700,000.

The Clippers said they “vehemently reject the NBA’s findings” and hinted it would take the league to court.

During a special episode of his podcast Wednesday after the decision was announced, Torre suggested there was still more to the story. “I encourage people to dig in as we continue to cover it and investigate still, especially now that it seems like the story isn’t over yet,” he said. “This is not everything.”