Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has remained relatively quiet since the NBA banned him for life, and many have interpreted that to mean he is ready to sell his team and move on. Not so fast, says Sterling’s lawyer Max Blecher.
On Tuesday, Blecher told ESPN that Sterling’s group is prepared to “fight to the bloody end” to keep the team. He also said any reports about Donald agreeing to let his wife Shelly negotiate a sale of the Clippers are untrue.
“I don’t know what agreement she has with him, but I’m saying to you today, he disavows anything she’s doing to sell the team,” Blecher said. “He says, ‘It’s my team, and I’ll sell it when and if I get around to it.'”
Blecher said that Sterling was in a “state of shock” at first but is now feeling much more “feisty.” We all know the 80-year-old loves fighting legal battles, so it would be stunning if he simply stepped aside and sold the team like the NBA is hoping he will do.
“I believe what they’ve done is illegal and it will not hold up in court,” Blecher added. “I believe what they’re doing is a blatant invasion of his constitutional rights because they’re using a tape recording that he did not consent to, and under California law, that recording cannot be used for any purpose, for any proceeding.
“So if the basis of their case is illegal evidence, they don’t have much of a case. … The whole thing is a pile of garbage.”
Despite Blecher’s insistence that Sterling has changed his stance, Shelly is still reportedly moving quickly to sell the team. A group reportedly made an offer of $2.5 billion to buy the Clippers on Tuesday. Shelly Sterling has retained Bank of America to help her with the sale and has supposedly received at least six offers.
