Oprah, Floyd Mayweather, Matt Damon & Others Look To Purchase Clippers

After Diddy tweeted an interest, now other celebrities are looking to purchase the Clippers. While Donald Sterling is banned for life from associating with an NBA team, and Adam Silver assured viewers he’ll work with the NBA’s board of governors to oust the embattled Clips owner, Sterling says he’s not looking to sell. If he were, a calvacade of celebs are willing to make a bid.

After Diddy, boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather expressed an interest in purchasing the Clippers. Even Matt Damon is hoping to become a “super minority owner” — though Beantown fans might grumble at the Boston-born Damon owning on the other coast. Finally, there’s the grand dame of daytime television and media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who could lend her name and support to a pair of billionaires that have already looked to purchase a team

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Mayweather lives right near Staples Center and takes in Clippers and Lakers games when he can. He told reporters at the MGM Lounge before his Saturday fight about his very real interest. Via ESPN LA:

“With me, I can’t come in talking about Mayweather only gonna get 3 percent, 4 percent. I got to get a solid percentage. Do we want to buy the Clippers? Yes, we do. We are very, very interested in buying the Clippers. We’ll keep the Clippers right where they’re at.

“When I’m not boxing, I’m at the games all the time. We do want to buy the Clippers. Me and my team do want to buy the Clippers and we can afford the Clippers.”

Pretty Boy Floyd could team with Golden Boy Promotions (De La Hoya is president) and other billionaires to form a tag team of financial purchasing power.

Here’s De La Hoya’s statement:

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Then there’s Oprah, who would team with movie and music mogul David Geffen and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison to make a bid. Previously, Ellison had sought to purchase the Pelicans and the Warriors, but fell short in both attempts. By way of ESPN LA:

Oprah Winfrey is considering teaming with David Geffen and Larry Ellison to make a bid to buy the Los Angeles Clippers if the NBA board of governors votes to force Donald Sterling to sell the team, sources told ESPN.

Geffen, a music and film mogul with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $6.2 billion, reportedly tried to buy at least a controlling stake in the Clippers in 2010 but was rebuffed by Sterling.

Oprah Winfrey is part of a group that is considering a bid to buy the Clippers if Donald Sterling is forced to sell the team, sources told ESPN.
Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, a business software and technology company, has attempted to purchase several sports teams in recent years.

Geffen’s and Ellison’s potential interest has been previously reported, but sources told ESPN they are considering joining with Winfrey on the bid for the Clippers, who could draw the interest of some of the world’s wealthiest people.

Even movie star Matt Damon is interested in Hollywood’s other team.

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We still want Magic, even if he’s not interested.

But none of these celebrities will have a chance to make a bid if the board of governors fails to reach the desired three-fourths vote needed to terminate Sterling’s tenure as the owner of the Clippers. Even if they are successful in forcing him to sell, Sterling’s history of battling in court has led many observers to conclude he’ll undergo a prolonged legal battle by filing suit against the NBA if he’s forced out. That lawsuit could drag on for months, or even years, mitigating any of the efforts the NBA has made, and will likely do, to get rid of the detestable Sterling.

The Clippers fiasco is a long way from a conclusion, even if Silver landed a humdinger of a punch in the first round.

Which of these celebs do you most want to own the Clippers?

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