Posted on 05/23/2014 11:50:12 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The billionaire bigot allegedly surrendered ownership to his estranged wife, Shelly, so she could negotiate a better sale of the NBA team.
In a shocking development, disgraced L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling has agreed to sell the team.
The 80-year-old billionaire has agreed to allow his wife, Shelly, negotiate a deal with a buyer, sources said. The NBA has yet to formally accept the arrangement, but if does the arrangement will avoid what was expected to be a long, messy legal battle.
Sterling made the decision because he felt if he remained in control, NBA officials would force an involuntary sale of the team, TMZ reported.
A source close to Sterling told the Los Angeles Times on Friday that the arrangement with the NBA can only go ahead "if the league will allow (Shelly Sterling) to retain some ownership.
"My sense is that it's not a done deal," the source added. "The issue is whether she gets to keep an interest" for the purpose of the sale.
The NBA has made it clear that it doesn't want ownership to remain with the Sterling family, although Shelly Sterling has maintained a better relationship with the league than her husband.
It was unclear how officials would react to a proposal to allow Shelly Sterling to have control of the Clippers, however briefly. The league has said that an NBA investigator did not believe the couple was estranged and did not want to leave the wife in control, lest there be an appearance that Donald Sterling was still in charge. That sentiment could be ameliorated, however, if she intended to sell immediately.
Donald Sterling had already threatened to take NBA to court to block its effort to boot him out of league for making racist comments about African Americans and violating several provisions of the league’s constitution. He had until Tuesday to respond to the league’s charges to terminate his ownership.
Sterling's threat to sue first surfaced following the league’s decision last month to impose a lifetime ban and $2.5 million. The league also refused his request for a three-month delay.
If the NBA agrees with this course of action, it will not have to go through with a vote of its owners to get rid of Sterling. That was scheduled for June 3 and required three-fourths of the owners to officially end his 33-year tenure as owner of the Clippers.
This is taking taint to a silly extent.
I now am thinking this was all a ruse so this guy could unload this team while its value was high. never did hear anything he said that was so bad!
I as thinking that too. I bet he gets at least a 33% premium.
I am puzzled as to why racism is thought to be a terrible thing, rather than entirely natural and often reasonable, and why people allow themselves to be brow-beaten about it. Maybe we should stop. Domestic tranquility would follow in torrents.
As nearly as I can tell, a racist is one who approves of rigorous education, good English, civilized manners, minimal criminality, and responsible parenthood, among other things. I am, then, a racist. I see no reason to grovel about it.
I decided long ago that if, while I was doing a radio interview, a caller-in told me, “You a racist!” I would hesitate as if puzzled, and say “…So what?” This would add immeasurably to the planetary supply of stunned silence. The expectation is that anyone so charged will fall on his knees and beg for mercy. It would be a lesser offense to be caught same-sexually molesting autistic three-year-old boys while attending a Nazi torch-rally.
Fred Reed
What’s the NBA? Does it help Americans to make products? Or is it a bunch of Amish dunking an orange ball into a metal ring with strings attached to it 10 feet from the ground while making more $$$ then a typical high school drop out (LaBron James for instance).
The NBA and its apologists are idiots forcing a sale. They’ve boxed themselves in, now the Sterlings are in a position to say you want it, give us way over the FMV of the franchise.
The racist NBA should be sued for I’d say half a billion, then forced to cough AMV for the Clippers.
I would also make sure the prostitute which started this ends up fat, shoeless, and living in a trailer park with a beautiful toothless smile.
Why? If the owners are smart, they'll cash out. None of them got where they are by being stupid or perfect, so they could all be set up if some rich black folks want to buy the team. They can cash out now, find some other expensive toy to enjoy, and let the NBA become....blackball.
The NBA will become a boutique league and lots of people will give up on them, deciding March Madness is the only basketball that matters on a national level.
Sterling may very well be Br'er Rabbit here. He's made the purchase of the Clippers into a black cause celebre, smoking out potential buyers even before he put it on the market. He'll take his billion and enjoy the recession that will be kicking everyone else's butt later this year.
I saw Magic Johnson speak recently. He talked about how smart he was buying the Dodgers for $2 billion. He argued that the 300 acres of land owned by the Dodgers was worth $2B, so he and his bankers got the baseball team for free. The LA Clippers seem to be a pure basketball play, and Sterling may well be selling at the top.
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