NBA Owners' Committee Discuss Removal Of Donald Sterling
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The NBA owners' advisory/finance committee met Thursday by conference call to begin discussing the next steps in the removal of Donald Sterling as the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 10-member committee discussed the issue just two days after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life from the league and fined him $2.5 million for making racist remarks on a recorded audio tape.
In the audio clip, which was made public over the weekend, Sterling tells his mistress V. Stiviano not to associate herself with "black people" at Clipper's games. Silver said in a news conference Tuesday he will do everything in his power to force the sale of the Clippers.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CLIPPERS OWNER CONTROVERSY
A source told CBS2 Sports Director Jim Hill Sterling has no intention of selling the team. According to the NBA constitution, a sale can be forced if 75 percent of the league's 29 owners approve the move.
A handful of celebrities have expressed interest in purchasing the team if it becomes available, including Oprah Winfrey, music mogul P. Diddy, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., real estate developer Rick Caruso, equity man Ron Burkle and biotech pioneer Patrick Soon.
It was unclear how soon the league's owners would vote on the issue.
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