Related News
Home » Sports » Basketball
NBA: Ballmer new owner of the LA Clippers
Online Edition
FORMER Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer officially became the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday, the National Basketball Association announced.
It said the transaction, worth an estimated $2 billion, closed after a California court order went into effect confirming that Shelly Sterling had the authority to sell the team.
In a statement, Ballmer said he was "humbled and honored to be the new owner of the Los Angels Clippers."
The team went on the block after the NBA slapped a life ban on its owner, Donald Sterling, who bought the club in 1981 for $12.5 million.
The action was in response to a video aired on celebrity website TMZ that showed Sterling criticizing his girlfriend for having her picture taken with black people.
In the storm that followed, the 80-year-old billionaire initially agreed to the sale of the team, but then abruptly withdrew his support.
His wife Shelly, however, moved to sell the team as a trustee of the family trust that owned the team after Sterling had been declared mentally incapacitated.
Ballmer thanked Clippers fans for remaining "fiercely loyal to our franchise through some extraordinary times."
"I will be hard core in giving the team, our great coach, staff and players the support they need to do their best work on the court," he said.
"And we will do whatever necessary to provide our fans and their families with the best game-night experience in the NBA."
Ballmer's purchase would make the Clippers, which have never won a title, the second most expensive franchise in the US professional sports.
On July 28, after a three week trial, Judge Michael Levanas gave the green light to the sale, finding no evidence of a secret plot against Sterling.
Sterling appealed the decision to a court in Los Angles, but it was rejected.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
