Donald Sterling is out, ousted by the NBA after making racially charged comments that are now forcing him out of the league. A lifetime ban means that someone else will likely end up owning his stake in the LA Clippers, and there’s no shortage of candidates among the super rich. Here are ten names in contention right now, though many more could follow.
[Photo via Stephen Dunn / Getty]
1. Magic Johnson
Though the Clippers and Lakers don’t exactly see eye to eye most of the time, Lakers Legend Magic Johnson has expressed an interest in purchasing the team. He was even talking about it before Sterling was banned, so we’ll see how serious he is about it now.
[Photo via Steve Jennings / Stringer]
2. Billy Crystal
Longtime Clippers fan Billy Crystal would have to rally a few more partners to raise enough cash for the huge asking price of the Clippers (as would Magic Johnson and many others on this list), but he’d be an enthusiastic owner with the polar opposite personality of the departing Sterling.
[Photo via Andrew H. Walker / Getty]
3. Chris Hansen
Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen tried to buy the Sacramento Kings a year ago, but was rejected. Now, he could have another shot with the Clippers, and his play would be to try and move the team to Seattle, which desperately wants their own NBA team.
[Photo via Seattle Times]
4. Mark Zuckerberg
What better way to invest in his own state than purchasing a local basketball team? Zuckerberg is one of the most recognizable, and richest, names on this list, though it’s hard to imagine him making the move from tech to sports in this major of a way. Still, anything’s possible when you have seemingly infinite amounts of money.
[Photo via Justin Sullivan / Getty]
5. Elon Musk
The tech guru has a hand in everything, so why not basketball? I can only imagine the sorts of technological innovations that would find their way into the arena itself if Musk took over. He may be a bit too focused on space at present however to dip his toes into something as “trivial” as basketball.
[Photo via Larry Busacca / Getty]
6. Floyd Mayweather
The boxing star has mentioned his own interest in buying them team as of this Tuesday, saying he’s called a few of his billionaire friends to being serious talks about whether buying the Clippers would be a possibility. Unfortunately, his criminal record may make it hard for him to be considered a serious contender, despite his fame and fortune.
[Photo via Kevin Winter / Getty]
7. Larry Ellison
Ellison is currently the fifth richest man in the world, so purchasing the Clippers is far more easy for him to consider than most. He has an acute interest in owning an NBA team, previous bidding on both the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Hornets, but being outbid each time. He could step up to the plate a third time here.
[Photo via Justin Sullivan / Getty]
8. David Geffen
Geffen actually tried to buy the Clippers in 2010 for $700 million, but was rejected. He says he’s still interested, but can he come up with even more cash this time around? Judging from this list, this billionaire has a lot of other billionaire competition.
[Photo via Larry Busacca / Getty]
9. Rick Caruso
The real estate mogul is just shy of being a billionaire, but wants in on the sports game. He failed to buy the LA Dodgers recently, but has now expressed interest in the Clippers this past week as all this controversy has been unfolding.
[Photo via Frazer Harrison / Getty]
10. Franke Muniz
Yes, we conclude the list with Malcom in the Middle himself. The actor has saved up millions from his time on the show, and wrote on Facebook that he wanted to try and buy the team, which he’s been a fan of since 1994. Hard to imagine him being taken quite as seriously as everyone else listed here, but hey, anything’s possible.
[Photo via Frederick M. Brown / Stringer]
