Donald Sterling to sue NBA for $1 billion in damages

Feb 13, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and wife Rochelle Sterling (Shelly Sterling) react during the game against the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and wife Rochelle Sterling (Shelly Sterling) react during the game against the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Clippers are on their way to becoming the most valuable franchise in the NBA as former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has agreed to but the team for $2 billion. But don’t think that the fat stack of cash Donald Sterling just made is going to make him forget that the NBA forced him out as owner, and he’s planning on coming back hard with a court battle we all saw coming.

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While we thought the court battle would be over ownership of the Clippers, the $2 billion that Ballmer is giving the Sterling’s has sort of calmed that storm. Instead, Adrian Wojnarowksi from Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Sterling is suing the NBA for $1 billion, in what seems like an attempt to get back at the league one last time and to recoup the $662 million in capital gains taxes he has to pay int he sale of the Clippers.

Ramona Shelburne so confirmed the report that Sterling will be filing a lawsuit against the NBA for what he’s defining as ‘damages’.

It doesn’t seem like Sterling is in the best position to sue but then again we all knew he was going to. The fact of the matter is, Sterling feels he was wronged by having to give up the Los Angeles Clippers and even though he’s sold the team for $2 billion to Steve Ballmer, he’s not done coming after the league for outing him as owner.

Thankfully, this will keep his name away from the Clippers but it will unfortunately mean he’s in the public eye for even longer than we all want him to be.