NBA News Wire
NBA roundup: Bidders lining up to buy Clippers
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
At least six bidders have contacted the wife of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling about buying the team, according to ESPN.
Shelly Sterling agreed to take over the sale of the team after the NBA banned her husband for life and fined him $2.5 million on April 29 for making racist remarks.
Attorneys for the Sterlings — Pierce O’Donnell, Bob Baradaran, Darren Schield and Doug Watson — are handling the sale of the team.
Shelly Sterling was scheduled to meet with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Sunday, according to a multiple reports. Ballmer, who was part of the effort to bring a team to Seattle last year, recently told the Wall Street Journal that he is interested in buying a team, possibly the Clippers.
Another known potential ownership group includes former NBA All-Star Grant Hill and billionaire investors and longtime Southern California residents Tony Ressler and Bruce Karsh. ESPN.com reported that the NBA considers Hill’s group a viable contender to buy the team.
—The Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to interview Alvin Gentry on Wednesday for their head coaching vacancy, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Gentry is an assistant with the Clippers. He also served as an assistant under Mike D’Antoni with the Phoenix Suns. D’Antoni resigned as Lakers coach after the regular season.
—Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger decided to stay with the team because owner Robert Pera sweetened the terms of his contract, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Joerger watched Pera fire two of the team’s top executives after a 50-win season and was reportedly expected to take the Minnesota Timberwolves job.
However, Pera persuaded Joerger to stay with an improved deal.
—Indiana Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson stood by his trash talking of Miami Heat forward LeBron James hours before the two teams were set to play Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night.
Stephenson targeted Heat guard Dwyane Wade at the beginning of the series by saying he was going to make Wade run around to “flare up” his knees. Then, after Game 3 of the series, Stephenson said James’ trash talk was a “sign of weakness.”
After Monday’s shootaround, Stephenson defended his comments, even though Miami leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
