LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling agreed Wednesday to sign off on selling the team he’s owned for 33 years to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion, bringing the possibility of a resolution to weeks of rumors, uncertainty and looming possibilities of legal action.
The agreement hadn’t been officially signed Wednesday afternoon, according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiations who wasn’t authorized to discuss them publicly. But Donald Sterling’s attorney, Maxwell Blecher, said he “has made an agreement with the NBA to resolve all their differences.” Sterling gave his consent to a deal that was negotiated by his wife, Shelly Sterling, to sell the team, Blecher said.
Representatives for Shelly Sterling and the NBA declined to comment.
The agreement was an about face for Donald Sterling, who just last week filed a $1 billion suit against the NBA in federal court alleging the league violated his rights by relying on information from an “illegal” recording that publicized racist remarks he made to a girlfriend. It also said the league committed a breach of contract by fining Sterling $2.5 million and that it violated antitrust laws by trying to force a sale. Blecher said that as a result of the agreement, the federal suit will now be dismissed.
Sterling’s comments to V. Stiviano included telling her to not bring black people to Clippers games, specifically mentioning Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. They resulted in a storm of outrage from the public and players and even prompted President Barack Obama to comment on what he called Sterling’s “incredibly offensive racist statements.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately banned Donald Sterling for life and began efforts to force Sterling to sell the team. AP