NBA Thinks They Can Bump Shelly Sterling, Too...

((HT: NBA/ESPN))

The NBA thinks they have the legal-wrangling room to make sure Shelly Sterling doesn't get to stay as 50-percent owner of the LA Clippers, either.

Ramona Shelburne has been on top of the story since the beginning.

She reveals the gambit:

Shelly Sterling -- while entitled to a 50 percent interest in the franchise -- has never been approved by the board of governors as the controlling owner. She and team president Andy Roeser, who went on an indefinite leave of absence this week, were only alternate governors.

Odds are she won't be approved by the Board of Governors as the big boss- considering her marriage and recent video that has surfaced where she has defended her husband as not being a racist.

Here's Sterling's lawyer making his peace


This looks like it's beyond going to get ugly...

NBA Names Parsons CEO Of Clippers, Is He The Boss...???

((HT: Fox Sports West/NBA))

Doc Rivers almost made it out of Oklahoma City without getting asked about Shelly Sterling after Game 2


He also said, previously, that it would be hard to hang around if there was still any Sterling influence...

Now, we have the next position in the staring contest. Former Citigroup and Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons is now the new CEO of the franchise.

"I believe the hiring of Dick Parsons will bring extraordinary leadership and immediate stability to the Clippers organization," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Dick's credentials as a proven chief executive speak for themselves and I am extremely grateful he accepted this responsibility."

The next question will come from the Sterling camp: Does the hiring/insertion of Parsons mean he is the boss of the Sterlings since he is a league appointee or is it the other way around...???

"Like most Americans, I have been deeply troubled by the pain the Clippers’ team, fans and partners have endured," Parsons said in a statement. "A lifelong fan of the NBA, I am firmly committed to the values and principles it is defending, and I completely support Adam’s leadership in navigating the challenges facing the team and the league.

"The Clippers are a resilient organization with a brilliant coach and equally talented and dedicated athletes and staff who have demonstrated great strength of character during a time of adversity. I am honored to be asked to work with them, build on their values and accomplishments, and help them open a new, inspiring era for their team."

V. Under Investigation For Blackmail On Sterling

((HT: KABC-TV))

And, maybe, this is the origination of the quote attributed to Clippers owner Donald Sterling...

Someone who has six separate identities is now being looked at by the LA County DA's Office for possibly blackmailing the embattled owner. V. Stiviano admitted that there are hours of conversation on tape between herself and her confidant...


The HQ is asking: "And this woman is allowed to be a foster parent?"

Just saying...

Shelly Sterling Wants To Keep The Clippers

((HT: KABC-TV))

Of course, she does...

Color the HQ shocked...


She has hired attorney Pierce O'Donnell to represent her interests and, as the HQ has maintained the entire time, if she files for divorce from Donald Sterling the co-ownerships muddies the waters a great deal. But if the league continues to try and see how Shelly Sterling locks in to this whole situation, if you find the videos where Shelly backs her husband and claims he is not a racist it's going to be an interesting race to see who gets the Clippers.

O'Donnell said Shelly Sterling was defending herself and not her husband.

Of course, he did...

LA Mayor Thinks Sterling Will Fight For Clippers

((HT: CBS News/Face The Nation))

Shocking no one, really, the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti thinks that current Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling will hang on to the NBA franchise in a very protracted battle...

Garcetti made these remarks on the Sunday morning talk show circuit...

Here's Bob Schieffer with Garcetti


The prevailing thoughts are that Sterling will do exactly that- and a divorce proceeding will muddy the waters even further. Sterling's wife, Shelley, has come out with a statement condemning her husband's remarks. But she didn't mention anything about selling the team.

All that has to be done is any kind of divorce proceeding since California is a community property state. Shelley can claim the team is half hers, anyway. With Donald Sterling reportedly fighting prostate cancer, he may feel with the size of his ego that he has nothing to lose at this point and will make a point to be profoundly annoying in keeping his franchise.

Sterling could make the point that the league may not have any leg to stand on since this recording was made without his permission and was only meant to be personal opinion. He may also claim that being forced to sell would be an unfair business practice since he may not get proper reimbursement if the team is "sold" at less-than-market value.

This is not a good equation...

Sterling Misdeeds Date Back To 1996 And The NBA Knew

((HT: NBC Los Angeles))

All of Donald Sterling's (and the Sterling family, for that matter) misdeeds are coming to the surface in light of his banishment from the NBA earlier this week.

In the press conference, Inside Edition's Lisa Guerrero asked Commissioner Adam Silver why no previous investigations had happened with his run-ins with the Justice Department well-documented...

The question is at the 5:40 mark...
((HT: NBA))


So, with the response being (from Silver) that he wasn't in charge then to render such a decision and that the other cases were monitored, the video involving Rochelle Sterling came out yesterday her at OSG Sports and now more instances of Sterling's litigious nature and past behavior are coming forward...

A lawsuit, that the lawyer involved in the case remembers dealing with the NBA's insurance company in a sexual harassment suit, dates back to 1996 that names Sterling as the defendant. The case detailed harassment by Sterling towards a female Clippers employee and it's not even the only one.

There's another case where Sterling admitted in deposition that he paid a woman for sex. That one was settled with a confidentiality attachment.

Here's Patrick Healy standing on a cliff in Malibu with the lawyer in the '96 case...


And why does the HQ think that this won't even be the beginning of the end...

Doesn't Look Like Rochelle Sterling Will Get The Clips, Either...

((HT: KABC-TV))

There is a lingering question about the Clippers ownership...

Since the Sterlings are still married and the state of California is a community property state, is half the franchise hers to begin with...??? And can her half be even more of a legal pain to extract from the family coffers if she files for divorce- or even if she doesn't...

In the end, it may not matter a whole heckuva lot...

There was a video that SplashNewsOnline gave to TMZ where Rochelle Sterling made a point to defend her husband as they came out of a steakhouse recently...

But ABC News has video of Rochelle Sterling from 2006 where she, allegedly, misrepresented herself to tenants to gain access to their apartments


"Nightline" correspondent Ryan Smith has the long version of the Gregory story that includes the SplashNews video...
((HT: ABC News))

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Now, it's Mrs. Sterling's turn to say if it's her or not...

If the answer is what the HQ thinks it will be...

The Sterlings really are done...