Banned-for-life Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling
has reportedly agreed to cede control of the organization to his wife, Rochelle
"Shelly" Sterling, to negotiate with the NBA on a sale of the
franchise that could be worth billions, and that would bring the disgraced
Sterling's time as the NBA's longest-tenured owner to a long-awaited end.
TMZ first reported Friday morning that Sterling had
"just surrendered control" to Shelly, his wife of 58 years, and that
she "is now secretly negotiating with the NBA to sell the team:
Our sources say Shelly and her
lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, have been secretly meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam
Silver and NBA lawyers to "resolve the dispute amicably." We're told
Shelly realizes the NBA wants the team sold, but she has significantly more
leverage and credibility with the league than Donald. Her end game is simple --
she won't object to the sale, but SHE wants to call the shots.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne followed up with a report that confirms
the main point — Donald's allowing Shelly to take the reins in working out a
deal — but still refers to any prospective agreement as a “forced sale” and notes that, since the NBA would have to sign off on Shelly acting as
the focal point for decision-making and negotiations, this development likely
wouldn't result in Shelly "calling the shots," per se:
Shelly Sterling and her lawyers have
been negotiating with the NBA since her husband was banned for life by Commissioner
Adam Silver on April 29. While the league has yet to formally accept this
arrangement, sources said, if she is willing to sell the team in its entirety,
this could bring a startlingly quick end to what appeared to be a protracted
legal battle.
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