NBA says Shelly Sterling’s ownership of Clippers would be terminated if Donald Sterling’s is

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The NBA says if Donald Sterling’s ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers is terminated, so is Shelly Sterling’s.

Hours after Shelly Sterling said she would fight to keep her ownership of the franchise even if her estranged husband can’t, the league said that wouldn’t be possible.

League spokesman Mike Bass says that according to the NBA constitution, “if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a three-fourths vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well.”

“It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here,” Bass adds in a statement. “These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”

Donald Sterling has been banned for life for making racist comments and Commissioner Adam Silver is urging owners to force him out. But Shelly Sterling told ABC News’ Barbara Walters on Sunday that she felt her stake in the team should be separate and that she “would love him to” consider transferring fell ownership to her if he is forced to sell.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.