The former Microsoft chief executive reportedly outbid a group that included David Geffen and executives from the Guggenheim Group (owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers) with a number reaching $2 billion — a figure that isn’t only the second-largest sum for a North American sports franchise in history (only behind the Dodgers at $2.1 billion) but would quadruple the total of the largest sale of an NBA franchise.
Ballmer concluded the deal with Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling with the signed contract sent to the NBA for approval, but Bobby Samini, an attorney for Donald Sterling, said “There’s been no sale. There can be no sale without Donald’s signature.” Although it was reported that Donald Sterling agreed last week to allow his wife to conduct the sale of the team — all of this of course coming after the mass exodus of Donald Sterling approval following his secretly taped racists remarks resulting in a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Ballmer is worth about $20 billion.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
