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Ballmer becomes owner of Clippers
Clippers Sale Basketb Heal
Shelly Sterling, center, talks to reporters after a judge ruled in her favor and against her estranged husband, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, in his attempt to block the $2 billion sale of the team July 28. A California court has now confirmed the sale of the team to Steve Balmer. - photo by Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The Clippers moved on from months of ugliness Tuesday, with Steve Ballmer officially becoming the team's new owner in a record $2 billion sale that ousted Donald Sterling as the NBA's longest-tenured owner. Sterling bought the team in 1981 for $12 million and presided over decades of losing seasons before engaging in a fierce legal battle with his estranged wife to hold on to his most prized asset. The team said the sale closed after a Los Angeles court confirmed the authority of Shelly Sterling, on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust, to sell the franchise to the former Microsoft CEO. The NBA Board of Governors had previously approved the sale.