Basketball: Confirmation of purchase of Los Angeles Clippers by Steve Ballmer for €1.47bn

Steve Ballmer, CEO from 2000 to 2013 of Microsoft, the U.S. software company, bought the Los Angeles Clippers franchise NBA (National Basketball Association, American Basketball League) for $2bn (€1.47bn ), confirmed Donald Sterling, who had been the club's owner, on 04/06/2014.

Sterling was banned for life by the NBA on 29/04/2014, following society news site TMZ's publication of his racist remarks on 25/04/2014. Sterling acquired the Los Angeles Clippers for €8.8m in 1981.

The purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers by Ballmer is the second most expensive acquisition in the history of sports, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise MLB (Major League Baseball, American professional baseball league), which was purchased for €1.58 billion by former NBA player Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Partners, a U.S. investment bank. Ballmer paid more than Malcom Glazer (USA, died 28/05/2014) who bought Manchester United (Premier League) for €1.145bn in 2005.