Shelly Sterling is officially the Los Angeles Clippers "No. 1 Fan," according to a clause in the recent agreement that sold the team to former Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer.
Sterling is the estranged wife of disgraced former owner Donald Sterling, who caused a firestorm earlier this year after recorded racist comments he allegedly made surfaced. He was subsequently banished from the NBA.
The Sterlings squabbled in court as Donald Sterling opposed the sale of the team, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas ruled July 28 that
Shelly Sterling had the authority to cut a deal with Ballmer.
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The $2 billion deal — the most expensive in NBA history — included a set of terms pertaining to Shelly Sterling. In addition to her being the team's official "No. 1 Fan," she was also named "owner emeritus" and awarded a package of VIP season tickets, parking passes, and rights to any
future championship rings, according to USA Today.
"It's a ridiculous concession but ultimately one for the greater good of the team and the NBA, who can finally start to move past the chaos of the past three months and the years of terrible stewardship by the Sterling family," "For The Win," USA Today's sports blog, reported.
"The incredible hubris and lack of self-awareness that it must take to actually present this as an option is amazing, although not exactly surprising. While Shelly Sterling had no role in the racist recordings that led to the ouster of her husband Donald from the NBA, she was just as involved in federal housing discrimination lawsuits filed against both of them in the past decade."
The Clippers sale was finalized Tuesday when a court signed off on the deal, which gained prior approval from the NBA Board of Governors.
"The NBA wanted to get rid of Donald Sterling so badly that they were willing to play nice with Shelly, who, at least publicly, is the less
odious of the Sterlings," Deadspin noted. "With any luck, she'll be mercilessly booed every time she shows up at a game.
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