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.
With News Wire Services
mlawrence@nydailynews.com
Posted by Unknown on Friday, May 23, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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