According to Donald Sterling's lawyer, his client has given his approval to proceed with the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers. The sports team is reportedly being bought by former Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.
Sterling's approval has marked the end of the battle between the 80 year-old entrepreneur and the National Basketball Association, who has been at odds ever since an audio recording of him and his girlfriend was released to the public. In the recording, the married Sterling was caught reprimanding his girlfriend for her wanting to bring black people to games. Bloomberg said that the sports league has, since then, imposed a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine, of which Sterling's camp have claimed to be too harsh for such act.
The battle between the NBA and Sterling took a sour turn when circumstances presented a need for him to do a forced sale of his sports team. His wife of over 50 years, Shelly, reportedly took over the sports team with her husband's blessing and began to look for buyers before the NBA enforced the sale. The day after his wife had struck an agreement with Ballmer, Sterling filed a lawsuit against the NBA over the punishment he received from the audiotape affair.
In an interview today on Bloomberg television, attorney Maxwell Blecher said, "If Mr. Sterling were to pursue any lawsuit at the present time, it would inevitably drag his wife into the suit and probably Mr. Ballmer, and Mr. Sterling was just not prepared to go there. He recognizes that the team, the players, the fans, everybody would be better off with an immediate solution to the problem."
Blecher also revealed in the interview that an accord of sorts between his client and the sports league has been reached. He said in the interview that he believed that the NBA will life the lifetime ban and will no longer pursue with the fine. Sterling, on the other hand, will also drop the billion-dollar lawsuit he has filed against the NBA last week.
