Sources close to Sterling reportedly say former Clippers owner is to file lawsuit over his lifetime suspension for racist remarks.
Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers owner banned for life from the NBA for making racist remarks, is reportedly planning to sue the NBA for more than $1bn.
NBC News, citing “a source close to Sterling”, said he would file the lawsuit on Friday afternoon, a day after it was announced that the former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had succeeded with an NBA-record $2bn bid to buy the team.
The deal with Ballmer was negotiated by Sterling’s wife, Shelly Sterling, a week after Sterling handed her control of the franchise. It would also need to be approved by the NBA board of governors.
In April, websites posted the first reports on remarks about black people made by Sterling in a recorded conversation with a one-time girlfriend, V Stiviano. After a swift investigation, the NBA banned Sterling for life, fined him $2.5m, and said it would seek to force the sale of the Clippers.
Sterling subsequently gave a controversial interview to CNN, in which he apologised for his remarks, but also made controversial comments about the retired NBA star Magic Johnson and African Americans in general.
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