Basketball: Race row LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sue NBA
LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling set to sue the NBA for $1bn damages over the termination of his ownership of the club
Last Updated: 31/05/14 7:41am
It is not clear at this stage when the lawsuit will be filed by Sterling, who is at the centre of a racism row in the NBA after making alleged discriminatory remarks.
Estranged wife Shelly has agreed a deal to sell the franchise to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for a potential record-breaking $2bn, a move which has been tentatively approved by the NBA.
After announcing a binding contract for the sale of the club to Ballmer, Sterling she said: "We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premier NBA franchise. I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success."
Ballmer is thought to have outbid Guggenheim Partners and a consortium including former NBA All-Star Grant Hill.
A statement from Ballmer said: "I love basketball and I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that the Clippers continue to win and win big in Los Angeles.
"LA is one of the world's great cities a city that embraces inclusiveness, in exactly the same way that the NBA and I embrace inclusiveness."
The potential deal appeared to earn the approval of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson who tweeted: "Steve Ballmer owning the Clippers is a big win for the City of LA and all the people who live in the City of Angels!"
But Mr Sterling's attorney Bobby Samini insisted there was no chance the team would be sold "Sterling is not selling the team," his attorney said. "That's his position. He's not going to sell."