He owns a franchise in the NBA, he doesn’t own the NBA.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the NBA has language and authority to rescind a franchise award.
If you owned a McDonalds, could they rescind your franchise license if you started publicly attending Klan rallies and getting their name drug through the mud?
But they could not ban the previous franchise owner from EATING in a Mcdonald’s.
If Sterling were an owner of said McDonald's and he drug their name through the mud, rescinding his license would be one thing, but how could they tell him that he couldn't eat in a Mcdonald’s (after they stripped his license) in say Chicago - walking in and ordering a Big Mac like everyone else.