# $2B for the LA Clippers? WTH? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 30, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605 "2014-05-30T00:49:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/41 "2014-05-31T03:54:42Z")
About the LA area: it depends on the terms of the sale. But they won’t go to Seattle. As far as his capacity goes: I thought the finding was enough to strip him of control of the family trust. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/42 "2014-05-31T03:58:47Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The sale agreement stipulates that he won’t move the team. Didn’t Clay Bennett say that, too? I’m being a little facetious. My recollection of the Sonics sale to Bennett was that there was always kind of a wink and a nudge about his commitment to Seattle, but Ballmer (and one analysis I read) doesn’t seem to have that. His ties to the northwest aren’t as strong as Gates’s or Allen’s, and there seems to be a much stronger financial case to keeping the Clippers where they are. I just don’t know if you can take anything out of their mouths at face value at a time like this. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/43 "2014-05-31T04:02:54Z")
Bennett said he wouldn’t move the Sonics. Ballmer apparently signed a deal saying he won’t move the Clippers. Assuming that’s true, it makes all the difference in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/44 "2014-05-31T07:21:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > About the LA area: it depends on the terms of the sale. But they won’t go to Seattle. > > As far as his capacity goes: I thought the finding was enough to strip him of control of the family trust. No; read the article I linked to. It’s brief, but basically what it points out is that Shelly Sterling, through her lawyers, _has told the press that Donald Sterlig has been found incapable_. Thus far there’s been no actual court ruling on any such thing, and as Mr. Sterling’s lawyer contends, the notion that Mr. Sterling is incapable is grossly incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/45 "2014-05-31T07:26:16Z")
[More and better info now: > [@](#): > > His estranged wife negotiated the deal to sell the Clippers for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, saying she owns half the team and controls the family trust. A person close to the family told The Associated Press that Shelly Sterling took over the family’s assets because Donald Sterling, 80, was stripped of his ability to act as a co-trustee after two neurologists determined he was suffering from dementia. > > The individual, who is familiar with the trust and the medical evaluations but wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said Sterling was deemed “mentally incapacitated” according to the trust’s conditions because he showed “an inability to conduct business affairs in a reasonable and normal manner.” > > “There is specific language and there are protocols about what to do, and steps in order to get a sole trustee position and that’s what took place in the last couple of days,” the individual said. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN\_CLIPPERS\_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-31-03-08-42](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_CLIPPERS_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-31-03-08-42)) So this is going to court, big time. Looks like Shelly and her side did a lot of legal maneuvering so they could get to legal posturing but frankly I doubt it’ll hold it up in court and I think the court will hold up any sale until the lawsuit(s) is (are) settled. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/46 "2014-05-31T13:23:37Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Bennett said he wouldn’t move the Sonics. Ballmer apparently signed a deal saying he won’t move the Clippers. Assuming that’s true, it makes all the difference in the world. No deal has yet been truly made, and so no promise can be accepted at face value. Ballmer’s ties to Seattle may not be as strong as others’, but he has ties there, a market that would love him for moving the Clippers there, and he was involved in failed attempts to keep the Sonics in Seattle and then later to move the Kings there. I would not rule it out. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/47 "2014-05-31T13:26:14Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > No; read the article I linked to. It’s brief, but basically what it points out is that Shelly Sterling, through her lawyers, _has told the press that Donald Sterlig has been found incapable_. Thus far there’s been no actual court ruling on any such thing, and as Mr. Sterling’s lawyer contends, the notion that Mr. Sterling is incapable is grossly incorrect. Is a court ruling necessary? I thought that would be determined by the rules of the trust. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/48 "2014-05-31T16:24:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Is a court ruling necessary? I thought that would be determined by the rules of the trust. …which are going to be challenged in court, along with the procedures the doctors used, the criteria in their evaluations, who hired them, etc. I hope Mr. Ballmer hasn’t started picking out office furniture yet; this could take a long time to be resolved. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/49 "2014-05-31T17:21:37Z")
The NBA commissioner was planning to force a sale of the team, through a majority vote of the NBA owners. (I assume there is a clause in the franchise agreement for involuntary sale.) I think he shut this down once Donald Sterling apparently agreed to let his wife sell the team. So if he challenges this voluntary sale, the team could be sold without his permission. Obviously if the sale is voluntary, it’s not going to be challenged in court. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/50 "2014-06-04T23:57:34Z")
Sterling has agreed to sell the team and drop his lawsuit against the NBA: > **[Sterling agrees to Clippers sale and drops lawsuit](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27709098)** > > Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling agrees to sell the team for $2bn (£1.2bn) and drop his lawsuit against the league, his lawyer says. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/51 "2014-06-05T04:15:45Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Sterling has agreed to sell the team and drop his lawsuit against the NBA: > [Sterling agrees to Clippers sale and drops lawsuit - BBC News](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27709098) I just got home and saw this on the AP front page; _now_ it’s a done deal. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/52 "2014-06-05T06:16:52Z")
So the old guy had dementia this whole time? Could that explain his racist comments at all? Should I start feeling a little sorry for him? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/53 "2014-06-05T14:55:06Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > So the old guy had dementia this whole time? Could that explain his racist comments at all? Should I start feeling a little sorry for him? You could if that stuff is true, yes. I think we’d all be wise to take it with a grain of salt because I think most of the wrangling by both Sterlings has been part of a coordinated business strategy. Maybe it’s not; who knows. Anyway dementia might explain his racist phone comments, but it doesn’t excuse the housing discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/54 "2014-06-05T15:44:32Z")
He’s always been an asswipe. Now he’s a \*demented \*asswipe. No inconsistency. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/55 "2014-06-05T15:47:40Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I just got home and saw this on the AP front page; _now_ it’s a done deal. I called it a done deal days ago because my understanding was that he didn’t have a leg to stand on legally. But whatever the case, at least he’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/56 "2014-06-10T03:03:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I called it a done deal days ago because my understanding was that he didn’t have a leg to stand on legally. But whatever the case, at least he’s gone. Nope, you were wrong then and now [we’re both wrong. > [@](#): > > Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has pulled his support from a deal to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and will pursue his $1 billion federal lawsuit against the NBA, his attorney said Monday. > > “We have been instructed to prosecute the lawsuit,” said attorney Maxwell Blecher. He said co-owner Donald Sterling would not be signing off on the deal to sell. > > Donald Sterling issued a one-page statement dated Monday titled “The Team is not for Sale” and said that “from the onset, I did not want to sell the Los Angeles Clippers.” ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN\_CLIPPERS\_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-06-09-22-42-37](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_CLIPPERS_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-06-09-22-42-37)) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/57 "2014-06-10T03:12:49Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Nope, you were wrong then and now [we’re both wrong.](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_CLIPPERS_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-06-09-22-42-37) [In effect he is suing himself, which seems like the equivalent of lighting your own money on fire.](http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/6/9/5795466/donald-sterling-changed-mind-lawsuit-idiot) The deal is ultimately going to go through regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/58 "2014-06-19T20:31:32Z")
Latest AP story: [Judge rejects Shelly Sterling bid for injunction](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/sherry-sterling-seeks-protections-witnesses). There’s actually a lot more news in the article than the headline can convey. It sounds like both sides are going at it in every conceivable vaguely legal maneuver they can think of. Very entertaining to watch this unfold; I predict an amazing film about it will appear in a few years. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/59 "2014-06-20T02:22:52Z")
Shockingly, [Steve Ballmer’s Gmail account was hacked.](http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nba-steve-ballmer-clippers-email-hacked/) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605/60 "2014-07-09T05:27:48Z")
[Sterling took the stand today. > [@](#): > > His lawyers are challenging the authority of Shelly Sterling under a family trust to unilaterally cut a deal for the team with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. > > In order to be able to make the deal herself, Shelly Sterling had two doctors examine her husband and they declared him mentally incapacitated and unable to act as an administrator of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers. > > Sterling angrily denied that on the witness stand. > > “When I went to the Cleveland Clinic, they told me I was razor-sharp. I have five corporations and I run them every day,” he said. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN\_CLIPPERS\_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-08-23-36-20](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_CLIPPERS_STERLING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-08-23-36-20)) I can’t wait to see how this turns out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2b-for-the-la-clippers-wth/689605.md?page=4)