Clippers Buyers Rumors: Oprah, Mayweather, Caruso, Diddy and More Publicly Become Potential Suitors
ByThe Los Angeles Clippers may not officially be for sale just yet, but that has not stopped potential suitors from lining up.
Since being banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million, Clippers owner Donald Sterling told Fox News Wednesday the team is not for sale. After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's ruling, the 29 other team owners will vote sometime next week. They need at least 22 votes to uphold the lifetime ban.
In the meantime, several celebrities have stepped forward in publicly stating their interest in buying the Clippers.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most oft-mentioned potential suitor as she is reportedly interested in joining David Geffen and Larry Ellison in making a bid. Geffen told ESPN Oprah does not want to run the team, but "thinks it would be a great thing for an important black American to own [another] franchise."
Sean "Diddy" Combs and Rick Ross have each expressed interest, albeit on Twitter, but have not alluded to forming an owners' group.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. told ESPN he will plan on teaming up with "a couple other of my billionaire guys" to make a bid.
Fellow boxer Oscar De La Hoya told USA Today he would be interested in joining the group with Mayweather.
Magic Johnson stated on Twitter he is not trying to buy the Clippers, but then said it was because "they already have an owner." That may not be for long and the Los Angeles Times reported the Lakers' Hall Of Fame point guard will look for backing from the Guggenheim Partners, the team of billionaires that helped him buy the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer told the LAT he would like to join or lead a group in bidding on the Clippers. He tried to buy the Dodgers with partner Joe Torre, who now works closely with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Matt Damon threw his hat into the ring, telling CNBC he would want a to be a "super tiny minority" owner.
Silver previously said he would try to force a sale of the team and expects all the owners to uphold the ruling.
Said the commissioner, "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him."