Donald Sterling has officially given up. The man who owned the Los Angeles Clippers for 33 years will not pursue legal action against the NBA and will agree to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.
Donald Sterling won’t sue NBA, agrees to sell Clippers to Steve Ballmer
Donald Sterling’s fight to save the Clippers is finally over.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Sterling likely saw that the sale of the franchise was inevitable after his wife Shelly agreed to indemnify the NBA against potential lawsuits with the family trust. Sterling said in a charity appearance on Tuesday that he is ready to “move on”.
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Ballmer will take control of the Clippers for good once the NBA’s Board of Governor’s approves the sale. There is expected to be no resistance in the vote. Ballmer paid an NBA record $2 billion for the franchise, which has only been topped in American professional sports by the $2.1 billion the Los Angeles Dodgers were recently purchased for.
Sterling purchased the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million. The franchise made the playoffs just seven times during the stint as owner, which includes trips to the postseason in the last three seasons.
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