Three days ago Donald Sterling was prepared to fight until the bloody end to maintain ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers. He has since been deemed clinically incompetent to have a voice in the sale of the Clippers. The diagnosis is yet another mysterious turn in this ongoing saga. Hopefully this is the last time Donald Sterling's name is mentioned around NBA matters.
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has agreed in principle to purchase the Clippers. Ballmer really broke the bank in this transaction. The franchise is currently worth an estimated $575 Million dollars. The deal is reportedly worth $2 Billion dollars. This deal nearly quadruples the Milwaukee Bucks record breaking $550 million dollar sale earlier this year.
Ballmer didn't want to pass up on the opportunity to own an NBA franchise. The Clippers could have been sold for 1$ Billion dollars. Ballmer was apparently willing to outbid all suitors.
Shelly Sterling may have saved the league from a nasty legal battle. Her estranged husband seemed ready fight the NBA until the end. At the end of the day Sterling walks away from this ordeal a filthy rich man. 2$ Billion dollars in the bank doesn't seem like much of a punishment.
The sale still has to be approved by the leagues board of trustees. Hopefully the kinks can get worked out sooner than later. The Clippers have a championship caliber team. The franchise cannot afford for this debacle to carry over to next season.
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