Originally Posted by BeerAndPoker
The advertisers are why he doesn't stand a chance of retaining the team. Not only won't they advertise with him, but they won't advertise in games when the opponents are playing him. Just so many ways to bring pressure on this dude. Especially being in LA. If you're a celebrity, you wouldn't be able to attend a game without your twitter blowing up calling you a racist. If Marge Schott couldn't survive in Cincy 20 years ago, which is full of rednecks, this dude doesn't have a chance.
He's basically done. If I were him I'd be furiously trying to make a deal with the league where I never attend another NBA game, and ownership transfers to my children. If he never shows his face at a game again and has no official role, that may be palatable to all involved.
He bought the team for $12 million. He could just sell out, but NBA teams are appreciating quicker than anything in the world. The Bucks just sold for $500+ million. In '08 the Clippers were worth $200 million. Now they are worth approx $700+ million, so if he can retain that asset, it would behoove his family to keep it. China is crazy on the NBA, and they just made a deal to show games in India and got that new Indian owner in Sacramento.
The thing is Sterling is nuts. He'll probably fight. He's been nuts for a long time. Just read that depo. Who talks like that? When athletes talk about owners being plantation owners/etc. while making millions, it's always like stfu. But this dude legit thinks like that. He actually thinks he should own the fuckers. Parading girls in the locker room to look at the players bodies and shit. That's some 1700s shit going on. He clearly was always super-obsessed with race and image. The dude legally changed his name to Sterling when he was 23 so that it would sound prosperous. That was unheard of for anyone outside actors/writers back then. Many people dropped a vowel or slightly altered ethnic sounding names to Americanize them, but this guy did it to because he said sterling silver was the best, like him.
It always blows my mind how these scandals blow up over relative pocket change. His wife was pissed about a 1.8 million house and a few cars and some jewelry. I'm sure Donald said he'd get her to drop it, but didn't or couldn't, and she fucked his eyes out. What would he pay to now roll back the calender a week and purchase the tape and get her locked into a NDA? She should have gotten a lawyer and sued for distress or something. They could have played the tape for his attorneys. It wouldn't be admissible, but knowing it's out there, they would have advised him to pay her 10x what she was getting sued for.
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