August 1, 2014
By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
Shelley Sterling has prevailed in a lawsuit over her estranged husband, Donald, opening the way for her to complete a record $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The NBA Board of Governors is expected to approve the sale by the middle of August.
While the Clippers set a record sales price for an NBA team, the NFL is on the brink of its biggest team sale ever. Three groups have submitted initial bids to buy the Buffalo Bills. They are Donald Trump, Sabres owner Terry Pegula, and a group led by singer Jon Bon Jovi. Pegula’s opening bid reportedly is worth $1.3 billion, which would already top the current record $1.1 billion Stephen Ross paid for the Miami Dolphins in 2009. Pegula is the frontrunner to buy the team from the estate of Ralph Wilson, not only because he had by far the highest opening offer, but also because he wants to keep the team in Buffalo.
