The sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer would reportedly be worth $2 billion, but it appears Donald Sterling may not be wiling to sell. Sterling's lawyer has said that he will not sell the team, despite a record price tag for an NBA franchise, according to Andrea Chang of the Los Angeles Times.
Donald Sterling has yet to approve Clippers sale, lawyer says
The Clippers have a very lucrative pending offer to be sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, but Donald Sterling is reportedly refusing to sign off on a deal.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sterling's lawyer repeatedly said, "There's been no sale. There's been no sale. There can be no sale without Donald's signature."
— Andrea Chang (@byandreachang) May 30, 2014 Sterling’s exact reasoning for turning down such a lucrative deal is unclear. Money apparently isn’t much of a concern.
Sterling's lawyer told me that Sterling already has "a couple billion dollars," so "he could not care less" about Ballmer's $2-billion bid.
— Andrea Chang (@byandreachang) May 30, 2014 Any potential sale still needs Sterling’s signature. At one point, it appeared he was content to hand over responsibility of the sale to his wife, Shelly Sterling. He has since publicly stated that he has disavowed any deal he made with his wife.
The Sterlings appeared to be expediting the sale process, hoping to sell the Clippers before a June 3 owners meeting, where it was expected that NBA owners would vote to give control of the franchise to the NBA. Donald Sterling has promised to fight against the league for what he deemed “draconian” punishment and an “illegal” attempt to take away the franchise.
If Sterling does sign off on a deal at some point, it will have to be approved by the other 29 NBA owners. Ballmer has already been vetted by the league for his unsuccessful bid to buy the Sacramento Kings last year.
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