Steve Ballmer awaits sign off before becoming official owner of the Clippers.
#ByeFelicia.
Last week it seemed Donald Sterling had finally accepted the decision to sell his team, however he has apparently had a change of heart. Sterling is holding off on signing away his team to new Clippers owner designate Steve Ballmer, in the hopes that his lifetime ban and 25 million dollar fine will be lifted. Tough luck Sterling.
According to the L.A. Times, Sterling saw a drafted statement from the NBA absolving him of all charges, which, according to an anonymous source, couldn’t be farther from the truth
“In terms of saying something in a draft press release that indicated they would be dismissing the lifetime ban and the fine, that is not true at all,” said the anonymous source.
Sterling’s lawyers haven’t made an appeal to the NBA’s lifetime ban, fine, and forced sale of the team, and it’s not yet clear if they will do so.
In the meantime, Ballmer awaits an official sign off from Donald Sterling to avoid further legal complications. If Ballmer proceeds without a signature, Sterling may be able to sue on the grounds that his property was taken illegally from him.
Sterling’s wife and co-owner of the team Shelly, who negotiated the 2-billion dollar deal with Ballmer, may appeal to a judge to make her the sole owner of the Clippers in order to proceed with the sale.
According to sources close with the Sterlings, Shelly hopes to avoid this measure to prevent difficult and embarrassing proceedings for her husband.
–Alexandria Tribble (@Y_iOUWTA)
