Donald Sterling’s reign of bigotry, embarrassment, and wide-ranging ineptitude as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers is finally, officially over. The NBA announced today that the pending sale of the franchise to Steve Ballmer has been finalized.
The sale’s completion came after a California court confirmed the authority of Shelley Sterling to sell the franchise on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust. ESPN has more on Ballmer’s official acquisition of the Clippers.
Steve Ballmer’s bid to purchase the team closed Tuesday after the entry of an order by a California court confirmed the authority of Shelly Sterling to sell the team on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust, the league announced…
The NBA Board of Governors interviewed Ballmer on July 15, then took a vote electronically last week to approve him, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Ballmer decided he would complete the sale as soon as the judges’ written order came in, at 11:30 a.m. ET Tuesday.
Donald Sterling has fought his estranged wife’s deal with Ballmer since it was agreed upon in late May. Though a previous report said his ongoing legal fight could mean that Sterling would own the team during the 2014-2015 season, that’s obviously no longer a worry. Any chance of Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, and other members of the Clippers boycotting the team are surely gone, too.
Kudos to commissioner Adam Silver, the league’s board of governors, and its players for acting so uniformly and swiftly in Sterling’s dismissal. We’re thrilled to be able to write about him as “former Clippers owner” going forward.
Good luck to Ballmer, Rivers, and company this season.
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