Donald Sterling

Donald T. Sterling (born Donald Samuel Tokowitz, April 26, 1934) is an American attorney and businessman who was the owner of the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 2014. In April 2014, Sterling was banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million by the league after private recordings of him making racist comments were made public. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who announced Sterling's suspension, said he would immediately recommend to the NBA board of governors that Sterling be forced to sell the team. In May, Sterling's wife Shelly reached an agreement for the Sterling Family Trust to sell the Clippers for $2 billion to Steve Ballmer. Sterling contested the agreement in court, but the NBA board of governors approved the sale of the Clippers to Ballmer in August 2014. Sterling settled his lawsuit against the NBA in November 2016 and remains active in Los Angeles real estate. Sterling's ownership of the Clippers is often criticized, and many consider him one of the worst owners in American sports history.