Last month, it was confirmed that Steve Ballmer will purchase the LA Clippers for $2 billion. The deal was about to go through, but it seems it’s not happening anytime soon. The team’s co-owner Donald Sterling has pulled his support for the deal. The deal was finalized by Donald’s wife, Shelly Sterling, who said she is in a position to make the deal happen, but it won’t go through without Donald’s signatures.
Donald Sterling who was banned by the NBA for his racist remarks, and fined $2.5 million dollars, issued a statement titled, “The Team is not for Sale,” in which he mentioned that the team is obviously not for sale. Maxwell Blecher, Donald’s attorney, also said they’ll pursue a $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA.
“I have decided that I must fight to protect my rights,” Donald Sterling said. “While my position may not be popular, I believe that my rights to privacy and the preservation of my rights to due process should not be trampled. I love the team and have dedicated 33 years of my life to the organization. I intend to fight to keep the team.”
AP reports that Donald agreed to sign the deal, but later found out that NBA is not willing to remove his ban, nor the $2.5 million fine. As a result, he decided not to sign the papers. “There was never a discussion involving the NBA in which we would modify Mr. Sterling’s penalty in any way whatsoever. Any suggestion otherwise is complete fabrication,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
Further reading: LA Clippers, Steve Ballmer
