Showing posts with label Los Angeles Clippers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles Clippers. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Probably negotiating to drop the fine/ban

August 13, 2014 Donald Sterling , Latimes.com 0 Comments
NBA Files Counterclaim Against Donald Sterling

By Nathan Fenno, Aug. 12, 2014, Latimes.com

The NBA filed a counterclaim against Donald Sterling and the Sterling Family Trust in federal court Monday, saying the Clippers owner caused “devastating and incalculable harm” to the league.

Filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in response to Sterling’s June antitrust lawsuit against the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver, the counterclaim seeks to recover damages related to the owner’s recorded comments denigrating blacks.

Sterling must indemnify the NBA against losses and litigation according to the league’s constitution and a July 2005 document he signed, the counterclaim said. Shelly Sterling also signed an agreement in May to indemnify the NBA for any litigation costs related to her husband’s lifetime ban from the league, his $2.5-million fine and the franchise’s sale.

Read the full story:  www.latimes.com

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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Did they drop fine and ban?

Did they drop fine and ban?

August 12, 2014 CBS Los Angeles , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
NBA Finalizes Sale Of LA Clippers


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Thursday, August 7, 2014

So that's 50 Cent, Wale, Elder, now Simmons...

August 07, 2014 Billboard , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
Kiss's Gene Simmons: 'I'm on the Side of Don Sterling'

By Billboard, Aug. 6, 2014, Music.yahoo.com

In doing press for the new AMC series 4th and Loud -- about the KISS-branded Arena Football League team L.A. Kiss -- Simmons was asked if he had followed the Sterling incident.

"I'm on the side of Don Sterling," he replied, before his position was even asked. Although he admits that Sterling is "heinous," he opines that he should have been let off with a fine, since the rant occurred in private.

He goes on to insinuate that all people make racist rants or off-color jokes in private: "Because you say an off-color joke or make a racist rant privately, that causes you to lose a job -- nobody would have a job!"

To prove his point, he offered a slippery-slope argument. "They're going to go after Sterling, and he's going to put a few million dollars out there because he can afford it -- and he's going to ask the paparazzi out there to find videos of all the other team members talking trash and racist rants."

And finally, Simmons linked a loss of privacy to Sterling's fate: "I'm on the side of free speech in the privacy of your own home or privacy of the situation. Big brother has finally crawled in bed with us."

Surprisingly, Simmons claimed earlier in the interview that he supported changing the name of NFL's Washington Redskins. However, these views apparently did not cross over.

Read the full story:  www.music.yahoo.com

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

And Now This…Sterling vs. Sterling - Sterling wins!

July 30, 2014 And Now This... , Donald Sterling 0 Comments

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Monday, July 28, 2014

Scam lawsuit

July 28, 2014 Donald Sterling , Judge Michael Levanas 0 Comments
Donald Sterling Loses Court Battle To Prevent Sale Of Clippers

Donald Sterling
By Nathan Fenno, Jul. 28, 2014, Latimes.com

A judge gave Shelly Sterling a sweeping victory Monday afternoon and cleared the way for Steve Ballmer’s record $2-billion purchase of the Clippers to proceed.

In a tentative oral decision, Judge Michael Levanas ruled in Sterling’s favor on all three counts and rejected virtually all of Donald Sterling’s arguments in the probate trial in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The ruling included the extraordinary step of granting Shelly Sterling’s request for an order that allows the sale to be completed regardless of an appellate court’s intervention.

Levanas also ruled that Shelly Sterling acted properly when two doctors declared her husband mentally incapacitated in May under terms of the Sterling Family Trust before she proceeded to agree to sell the Clippers to Ballmer.

Donald Sterling revoked the trust in June, but Levanas said the court retained jurisdiction over the matter.

Levanas made the announcement after almost two hours of closing arguments between lawyers for Donald Sterling and Shelly Sterling.

Read the full story:  www.latimes.com

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Sunday, July 27, 2014

"Racist" pays him $18 mil, Hired Black Coach

July 27, 2014 Chris Paul , Doc Rivers 0 Comments
Clippers' Paul Might Lead Boycott If Sterling Remains Owner

By Fox Sports, Jul. 25, 2014, Foxsports.com

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul has spoken with head coach Doc Rivers about orchestrating a boycott if Donald Sterling still owns the team when the 2014-15 regular season begins.

"That's something me and Doc are both talking about," Paul told ESPN. "Something has to happen, and something needs to happen soon -- sooner rather than later."

Added Paul: "We're all going to talk about it. We're all definitely going to talk about it. Doc, Blake [Griffin], DJ [DeAndre Jordan]. It's unacceptable."

Sterling came under fire when his racist comments in an audio recording went public during this past postseason, ultimately leading to a lifetime ban from the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver vowing to remove him from ownership.

During his testimony earlier this week in the trial that could decide whether Shelly Sterling can sell the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, interim Clippers CEO Dick Parsons said he didn't think Rivers would return if there weren't a change in ownership.

Closing arguments in that trial are set for Monday.


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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Chris Rock On Sterling Vs. Larry Elder On Sterling By Larry Elder

Chris Rock On Sterling Vs. Larry Elder On Sterling By Larry Elder

July 02, 2014 2014 BET Awards , 50 Cent 0 Comments
By Larry Elder, July 2, 2014

 Comedian Chris Rock hosted the BET Awards show.

 According to the entertainment publication, Wrap, Rock “skewered” Donald Sterling. Here's what Rock said: 



Actually, Rock “skewered” us. That is, he ridiculed the part of the public “who are surprised that an old guy who doesn't like black people. Is that news?” Rock's perspective on SterlingGate -- that this is much ado about very little -- is almost identical to that of mine. Rock rhetorically asks, “What did he say?”

Rock's question is not unlike the very same question we asked when this matter became a national issue. As I wrote and said, Magic Johnson’s initial advice to Sterling was to “call your lawyer” and do a “deal with girlfriend” to “make this go away.”





People have calmed down. Rapper 50 Cent dismissed the whole thing as a spat between a guy and a girlfriend who “betrayed” him. Here's what Fitty said:

   

Meanwhile, there's the IRS Scandal; VA scandal; the disintegration of the Iraq; Bergdahl scandal; the continued underperformance of the economy; the surge of illegal alien children on our border…

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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Chris Rock Jokes About Sterling: 'What Did He REALLY Say?' --Chides public for over-reacting.

July 01, 2014 2014 BET Awards , Chris Rock 0 Comments
Chris Rock
By Tony Maglio, Jun. 29, 2014, Thewrap.com

The stand-up comic did not disappoint in monologue welcoming viewers to “the black World Cup”

Chris Rock opened the 2014 BET Awards with all the weaponry he needs — a microphone, a stage and eight minutes of everyone's undivided attention.

The world-class stand-up comic greeted the crowd with the following: “Welcome to the 2014 BET Awards — the black World Cup.” Rock then recapped the year that was in black entertainment, beginning with 2014's biggest music stories.

On Solange Knowles’ now-infamous attack on her brother-in-law Jay Z in an elevator, Rock joked: “Solange hit the right rapper … Jay's a businessman now, he can't just go punching girls in the face — he's got a meeting with Nabisco in the morning.”

On Dr. Dre getting $3 billion dollars for selling Beats by Dre to Apple, the comic summed up an old hip-hop beef: “It looks like the West Coast won — sorry Puff.”

Next, Rock hit TV and film. First, social commentary on the small screen: “A lot of people think ‘Scandal’ is a hit because of Kerry [Washington, a nominee] — and she's great in it — but the real reason that ‘Scandal's’ a hit is because every Thursday at 10 o'clock there's a white president.”

Read the full story:  www.thewrap.com

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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Report: Clippers Want LeBron James; Blake Griffin's 'Untouchable' --Even if Shelly's still around?

June 26, 2014 Cbs.sports.com , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
LeBron James
By Matt Moore, Jun. 25, 2014, Cbs.sports.com

ESPN reports that you can add the Clippers to the list of teams that plan to make a run at LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in free agency, despite a lack of cap space, but that Blake Griffin is "untouchable" in any circumstances.

The Los Angeles Clippers have strong interest in pursuing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony if they can clear the requisite salary cap space to make a maximum-level offer to the superstars, who have both elected to become free agents starting July 1.

One player they have no interest in moving, however, is forward Blake Griffin. While the Clippers would need to move significant players and money to make a run at either James or Anthony, sources told ESPN that Clippers president and coach Doc Rivers has told Griffin on numerous occasions that he considers him "untouchable" in any trade.

via Los Angeles Clippers consider Blake Griffin untouchable in free-agent pursuit, according to sources - ESPN Los Angeles.

This has been floating out there for a while, and Tuesday it was reported that while Miami is James' main choice, he is intrigued by the idea of the Clippers. And it makes sense. James has known Clippers point guard Chris Paul since they were kids. They were groomsmen for each other's weddings, and Paul is godfather to one of LeBron's sons. That relationship is stronger than that of James and Anthony, and even that of James and fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade.

Los Angeles offers him proximity to the entertainment complex in Hollywood, which James is becoming further and further invested in. (He has two films reportedly in production.) It enables him to play in LA without teaming with Kobe Bryant and dealing with the complicated egos there. He gets to play with Doc Rivers whom he has long respected from their playoff battles. Don't get confused, this isn't fantasy. If the Clippers can seriously figure out a deal, this could happen.

Read the full story:  www.cbssports.com

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Friday, June 13, 2014

Donald Sterling Hires Investigators To Dig Up NBA Dirt --Some owners sweating bullets

June 13, 2014 Adam Silver , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
Donald Sterling
By The Associated Press, Los Angeles, Jun. 13, 2014, Usatoday.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's team of lawyers has hired four private investigation firms to dig up dirt on the NBA's former and current commissioners and its 29 other owners, a person familiar with Sterling's legal strategy told the Associated Press.

Investigators were given a six-figure budget over the next 30 days to examine the league's finances, allegations of previous discriminatory conduct and compensation to past Commissioner David Stern and current Commissioner Adam Silver, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity. The person wasn't authorized to talk publicly.

The person said the investigators also are looking into whether other owners made any off-color jokes, or racist or sexist remarks.

"The gloves are off, as they say," the person said. "Have them dig up all the dirt they can find."

STERLING: Appealing mental health ruling

LAWSUIT: Why Sterling won't back down

The 80-year-old Sterling is suing the NBA for $1 billion in federal court after the league tried to oust him as Clippers owner for making racist remarks to a girlfriend that were recorded and publicized. Silver fined him $2.5 million and banned him for life.

The suit alleges the league violated Sterling's constitutional rights by relying on information from an "illegal" recording. It also said the league committed a breach of contract by fining Sterling and that it violated antitrust laws by trying to force a sale.

Sterling's attorneys will also be facing off with his wife's attorneys in probate court during a four-day hearing scheduled for July.

The probate court hearing centers on whether Shelly Sterling had the right to unilaterally negotiate a $2 billion deal to sell the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Shelly Sterling's attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, said she made the deal as the sole administrator of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the team, after two doctors determined her estranged husband was mentally "incapacitated." Donald Sterling is fighting that conclusion and her authority to sell.

Read the full story:  www.usatoday.com

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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

BREAKING: Donald Sterling Approves Sale Of Clippers, Agrees To Drop $1 Billion Lawsuit Against NBA

June 04, 2014 Adam Silver , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
By Ramona Shelburne, Jun. 4, 2014, Espn.com

 Banned owner Donald Sterling has approved the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and won't pursue further legal action related to the transaction, his attorney said in an email to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne on Wednesday.

 Max Blecher said Donald Sterling had settled with wife Shelly regarding the sale and that the NBA agreed to not sue him for anything a day after Sterling, in an interview to NBC4 during a charity function, said he was ready to "move on."

 "I feel fabulous, I feel very good," Sterling told NBC4 on Tuesday night when asked how he felt about his wife, Shelly, selling the team. "Everything is just the way it should be, really. It may have worked out differently, but it's good. It's all good."

 Donald had sued the NBA on Friday seeking $1 billion in damages but will withdraw that suit, Blecher said. Commissioner Adam Silver was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

 "I'm OK, I'm OK," Sterling said Tuesday. "Is the NBA OK? I'm not sure about that. Is [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver OK? I'm sure he's OK."

 Once the NBA approved Ballmer's bid to buy the Clippers on Friday, a hearing to determine Donald Sterling's future was canceled. Instead, the NBA Board of Governors will vote on the deal agreed upon by Shelly Sterling and Ballmer, who bid $2 billion for the team.

 Shelly Sterling, as part of a settlement with the league, and a condition of the sale to Ballmer, had indemnified the NBA against future legal action by her husband, essentially meaning that even if he won his lawsuit, the Sterling Family Trust -- which she controlled after he was found by neurologists to be mentally incapacitated -- would pay the damages.

 The NBA has set no timetable for a vote to approve Ballmer, but he is expected to easily be accepted by 3/4ths of the other 29 owners.

Source:  www.espn.go.com

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Why Deal To Sale Clippers Took Only One Week --Ever see a deal so complicated get done so quickly?

June 04, 2014 Donald Sterling , Los Angeles Clippers 0 Comments
By Eriq Gardner, Jun. 4, 2014

 Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's $2 billion agreement to buy the Los Angeles Clippers is astonishing not only for the price tag. The deal came together in less than a week -- the corporate-transaction equivalent of an alley-oop with 0.1 seconds left. The Friday before Memorial Day, BobBaradaran and Pierce O'Donnell, L.A. lawyers representing Clippers owner Donald Sterling's estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, decided the deal needed to get done quickly. The NBA's board of governors was scheduled to vote June 3 on forcing a sale, and the attorneys wanted to beat a litigious Donald Sterling to the courthouse. Without a prospectus that would take six months to prepare,Baradaran entertained dozens of calls from interested parties during the holiday weekend. He tells THR there were 20 serious bidders, fromOprah Winfrey and David Geffen (partnering with executives of THR parent Guggenheim Partners) to a group out of the Middle East, and all were curious about terms of the team's TV rights deals.

The eight most credible bidders were given not a typical 100-page contract to review but rather a single sheet with an empty box for a dollar figure and a space to list noneconomic demands. Ballmer, who outbid a $1.6 billion offer from the Winfrey group, was crowned the winner the day after the May 28 deadline, and he and Shelly Sterling signed sale papers at the Greenberg Glusker law firm that evening. "The only time in history a deal has been put together faster was when J.P. Morgan took over Bear Stearns on the eve of the financial meltdown," boasts Baradaran, whose team announced the transaction hours before Donald Sterling's $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA hit.

Read the full story:  www.hollywoodreporter.com

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Monday, June 2, 2014

Sterling Raises Eyebrows By Attending Services At Predominately Black Church In South LA --Maybe he got lost?

Sterling Raises Eyebrows By Attending Services At Predominately Black Church In South LA --Maybe he got lost?

June 02, 2014 Donald Sterling , Los Angeles Clippers 0 Comments
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Friday, May 30, 2014

Sterling Ruled Mentally Unfit--Can't Prevent Sale --Was he mentally fit when he signed authority to Shelly?

May 30, 2014 Donald Sterling , Los Angeles Clippers 0 Comments
Donald Sterling

Brent Schrotenboer, May 30, 2014, Usatoday.com

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling does not have the authority to stop a $2 billion sale of his team because he has been determined to be mentally unfit to make decisions related to the family trust, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The Sterling Family Trust owns the team, with Donald and his wife Shelly each owning a 50% share. The trust spells out provisions and procedures related to the mental capacity of the trustees, and Donald Sterling did not meet the standard in a determination by experts, giving his wife sole decision-making power for the trust, the person said.

Shelly Sterling reached a deal Thursday with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to sell the Clippers for a record $2 billion. The contract was sent to the NBA for approval a few days before the league's Board of Governors was set to vote on whether to terminate the Sterlings' ownership of the team.

BALLMER: Details on record-setting sale

ARMOUR: $2 billion too much for Clippers

As part of the deal, Ballmer gets 100% of the team, though Shelly Sterling still could be involved in the franchise in some other capacity, the person said.

"Shelly Sterling was acting under her authority as the sole trustee of the Sterling Family Trust which owns the Clippers," said a news release issued late Thursday by Shelly Sterling's representatives.

"I am delighted that we are selling the team to Steve, who will be a terrific owner," Shelly Sterling said in the statement. "We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premiere NBA franchise. I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success."

Donald Sterling's attorneys didn't return calls Thursday night from USA TODAY Sports. After Sterling authorized his wife in writing last week to sell the team on his behalf, his attorney this week said he had reversed course, did not want to sell and instead wanted to fight the NBA, which banned him for life on April 29.

But Shelly Sterling continued to entertain offers for the team even as her husband's attorney said he did not want to sell.

Read the full story:  www.usatoday.com

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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer To Buy Clippers For $2 Billion --Pending Sterling and NBA

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer To Buy Clippers For $2 Billion --Pending Sterling and NBA

May 29, 2014 Donald Sterling , Los Angeles Clippers 0 Comments

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Donald Sterling: Proceedings A Sham --Says does not have permission to sell

May 28, 2014 Abcnews.com , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
By Ramona Shelburne via ESPN, May 28, 2014, Abcnews.com

 Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling responded forcefully Tuesday to the NBA's charges to terminate his ownership, while his estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, continued to move quickly to sell the team by the end of the week.

 Donald Sterling's lawyer, Max Blecher, told ESPN on Tuesday that his client "is going to fight to the bloody end" and has effectively "disavowed" the agreement he reached with his wife last week that would allow her to negotiate a sale of the team.

 "I don't know what agreement she has with him, but I'm saying to you today, he disavows anything she's doing to sell the team," Blecher said. "He says, 'It's my team, and I'll sell it when and if I get around to it.'"

 Asked why Sterling seems to have had a change of heart, Blecher said, "He was in a state of shock at first. Now he's recovering and he's much more feisty."

 Shelly Sterling and her advisers were undeterred by Donald Sterling's position and continued to move swiftly to sell the team, setting a deadline of Wednesday morning for the first round of bidding on the franchise, sources told ESPN.

 Pierce O'Donnell, an attorney for Shelly Sterling, issued a statement Tuesday stating that his client had a written agreement with her husband to sell the team and she "and the NBA are working cooperatively on the transaction."

 ESPN, meanwhile, has obtained a letter, dated May 22, that was sent from Donald Sterling's lawyer to the NBA, in which he tells the league he has authorized Shelly "to negotiate with the National Basketball Association regarding all issues in connection with the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers team, owned by LAC Basketball Club, Inc."

 Blecher was copied on the letter, which was sent by one of Sterling's personal lawyers.

 Shelly Sterling has retained Bank of America to help sell the franchise. ESPN reported Sunday that at least six serious groups have approached Sterling and her advisers about purchasing the team. Four of those groups are known: former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer; a group including music mogul David Geffen, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Oprah Winfrey; billionaire surgeon and entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong; and a group including former NBA star Grant Hill and Southern California businessmen Tony Ressler and Bruce Karsh.

 One source with knowledge of the process estimated that most of the initial bids will start at $1 billion.

 Bank of America made bid books with financial information on the team available to potential buyers Tuesday. The Clippers' television rights are up in two years, a key reason the franchise could sell for more than $1 billion. However, the Clippers still have nine years remaining on their lease with Staples Center, according to sources.

 Shelly Sterling has issued deadlines to bidders and hopes to have a deal done by Monday, according to sources. She had told bidders to submit letters of interest by Wednesday, with firm offers due by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday. It is then expected that a second round of bidding will take place this weekend, with a winning bid decided upon by Monday.

 The dispute between the Sterlings comes as the NBA continues to press for a June 3 hearing of its board of governors, which will end with a vote on whether to terminate the Sterlings' ownership.

Read the full story and see the video:  www.abcnews.go.com

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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Stiviano Taunting Sterling Days Before Rants Went Public --Talk about revenge!

May 27, 2014 David K. Li , Donald Sterling 0 Comments
Donald Sterling
By David K. Li, May 25, 2014, Nypost.com

 The woman who brought down Donald Sterling cryptically taunted the despised NBA owner — saying “let the games” begin — days before his racist rants became public.

 Sterling revoked gal pal V. Stiviano’s tickets, parking passes and luxury suite access to Los Angeles Clippers games in April, possibly touching off a crazy chain of events that ended with him losing his high-flying basketball franchise, according to the LA Times.

 Shelly Sterling — the owner’s estranged wife — filed a lawsuit against Stivano in March, demanding she return a laundry list of expensive gifts that Donald Sterling had given her.

 Six days after that lawsuit was filed, Donald Sterling cut off Stiviano from Clippers games. When a team employee reached out to Stiviano, she texted a seemingly enigmatic response.

 “No tell Mr. Sterling that I don’t need anything nor do I want anything,” she reportedly texted. “But thanks for asking. LET THE GAMES BEGAN.”

Source:  www.nypost.com

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