Steve Ballmer welcomed word on Tuesday that he is officially the next owner of the Clippers.
The former chief executive of Microsoft said he planned to return soon to Los Angeles Monday for a rally at Staples Center with fans, players and coaches, including head Coach Doc Rivers.
“We will be thanking the fans and giving them a chance to get to know me and to hear from Doc and some of the players,” Ballmer said, minutes after the NBA released a statement, saying the transaction was completed after a court order confirmed previous co-owner Shelly Sterling’s $2-billion sale. NBA owners voted via email last week to OK Ballmer as successor to Donald Sterling, who controlled the team for 33 years.
Donald Sterling of course had been ousted from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million following his statements in April to his ex boo that he did not want to see her at Clippers games with African Americans.
Asked about his philosophy, Ballmer said, “I told them to be hard core — to be persistent, to stay at it, to grind, grind, grind. I know the team will do that and I want the team to know that everyone behind them is going to support them in the same way.”
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