The more than likely forced sale of the LA Clippers, because of the lifetime ban placed on current owner Donald Sterling by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has gotten major celebrities and executives interested in purchasing the soon to be for sale basketball franchise. Among those interested are sport figures, celebrities, money management firms and partners, and of course billionaire corporate executives who want a piece of the sports world.
The list starts at the top with Oprah, a billionaire and TV personality who has built her own media empire. Larry Ellison who is estimated at a net worth of about $50B is also the founder of Oracle, and David Geffen, who is the founder of Geffen records and DreamWorks Animation SKG with an estimated net worth of $6B. Both Ellison and Geffen have previous unsuccessful attempts at purchasing an NBA franchise with the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings respectively.
Magic Johnson also seemed interested in potentially purchasing the Clippers, this might be the same type of arrangement that he currently has with the Chicago based Guggenheim Group for his ownership in the LA Dodgers baseball team. They might as well do another deal considering that now he would be an even bigger face of the organization and that Magic is also an NBA and LA legend. Being that it is as a rival LA Laker who share the Staples Center with the Clippers as their home court.
Among other celebrities are Diddy who seemed very interested in purchasing the Clippers, and tweeted “I will always be a Knicks fan, but I am a business man. #DiddyBuyTheClippers #NameYourPrice”. The boxing great Floyd Mayweather could also be in the running to buy the team if it will be sold. “Speaking with Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times in preparation for his fight against Marcos Maidana on Saturday night, Mayweather said he wants to get “a group of billionaires” together to bid for the franchise.” And a boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya who said that he would be interested in owning the Clippers with Mayweather. “When it comes to business, what better than two minorities? The commissioner wanted to see more minority ownership in the NBA,” De La Hoya said. “If he wants more minorities involved in the NBA, what better than me and Floyd to be part of a potential ownership group?
Chances are that if there will be an ownership group that will buy the Clippers, the front runners would probably be the trifecta of Oprah, Ellison, and Geffen. They are the wealthiest, and have the biggest reputations for owning corporations and running organizations. Besides, Oprah, even though she would not be involved in the day to day operations, her name alone would be a huge advantage with multiple demographic groups.
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