Donald Sterling Sues NBA, Adam Silver, and Wife Over Los Angeles Clippers Sale
Donald Sterling filed a new lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the National Basketball Association, Commissioner Adam Silver, and his wife, Shelly Sterling, in their attempt to sell the Clippers franchise to Steve Balmer for $2 billion.
Multiple reports confirmed that Sterling is asking the court to junk the proposed $2 billion sale of the Clippers, pointing out that his wife had no right to sell the franchise. The embattled Sterling argued that he is the sole owner and the only shareholder of the company, which owns the franchise.
"The new lawsuit states the seller of the team is not Donald, and it's not Shelly -- the seller of the team is the corporation that owns the team, and that's LAC Basketball Club Inc.," Bobby Samini, Sterling's Attorney, said via ESPN. "When Donald bought the team, the shares of the corporation are only in Donald's name. They were only issued to Donald, so Donald owns the shares of the corporation. He's the sole shareholder."
According to ESPN, the NBA and Silver declined to comment on the latest lawsuit filed by Donald Sterling, while Shelly Sterling's attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, described the lawsuit as an "act of desperation" by a person, who is trying to ruin the lucrative sale of the Clippers.
Meanwhile, Clippers interim CEO Dick Parsons revealed that coach and team president Doc Rivers will step down from his post if Donald Sterling regains control of the team.
Parsons, who was called to testify in the trial on Tuesday to discuss the uncertainty over the team's ownership, said that the Clippers will be in total disarray if the court allows Sterling to remain as the owner of the team.
"Doc is the father figure of the team," Parsons said. "Chris [Paul] is the on-court captain of the team. But Doc is really the guy who leads the effort. He's the coach, the grown-up, he's a man of character and ability -- not just in a basketball sense, but in the ability to connect with people and gain their trust. The team believes in him and admires and loves him. If he were to bail, with all the other circumstances, it would accelerate the death spiral."
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