Can you even imagine? The former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has agreed to pay $2 billion for the Los Angeles Clippers, according to a person briefed on the negotiations. If approved by the National Basketball Association, the sale would end a troubling situation for the league and rank as one of the largest deals in sports history.
Mr. Ballmer emerged last night as the last suitor standing in a dizzying bidding process that started when the N.B.A. announced last month that it would try to force Donald Sterling to sell the team. Mr. Sterling had been recorded making racist comments in a private telephone conversation, an episode that touched off a national discussion about race and delivered a public-relations blow to the league during its showcase period, the playoffs.
Rochelle Sterling, Mr. Sterling’s wife and a co-owner of the Clippers, signed the deal with Mr. Ballmer, and their contract will be sent to the N.B.A. for final approval. Mr. Ballmer, 58, was already vetted by the league in 2013 when he was part of an investor group seeking to buy the Sacramento Kings, which means the process could be expedited
