EXCLUSIVE: Disgraced former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, 88, holds hands with a mystery woman after dining with his estranged WIFE – six years after he dropped divorce proceedings against her over selling a team against his will
- The 88-year-old businessman said he was all in black after an outing before being escorted to the car by a mystery woman
- Sterling has rarely appeared in public eight years after audio of his racial insensitivity was leaked
- Sterling’s wife, Shelly, in her 60s, was there, although her husband was led to a car by another woman with a bag for a Malibu steakhouse
- The NBA banned Sterling for life in 2014, fined him $2.5 million and forced a talk about racism in sports
- Sterling’s wife Shelly sold the team under him to Steve Ballmer the following offseason, handing the family $2 billion in the process
Disgraced former owner of the The angel Clippers Donald Sterling made a rare appearance with friends and family, including his wife Shelly, near his Malibu home this week.
The 88-year-old businessman was seen saying goodbye before being escorted to the car by a mystery woman with a bag for Lucky’s, a Malibu steakhouse. He seemed a far cry from the man who used to sit at court at the Staples Center.
Sterling’s wife Shelly, in her 60s, was pictured alongside, although her husband was led to a car by the young woman.
Sterling has rarely appeared in public for the past eight years, following his epic downfall after an audio recording of a racist conversation he had with his former lover, V. Stiviano, was leaked.
In 2014, the NBA banned Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million and forced a talk about racism in sports.
Shelly Sterling sold the team under him to American businessman Steve Ballmer, raising the family $2 billion in the process.
Shelly Sterling (pictured back center) initially sold the LA Clippers under her husband, prompting him to file for divorce. The two have since reconciled
The 88-year-old businessman was seen saying goodbye after an outing before being escorted to the car by a mystery woman. He seemed a far cry from the man who used to sit at court at the Staples Center
Sterling’s wife, Shelly, in her 60s, was pictured alongside, despite her husband being led to a car by another woman
Sterling was hand led to his car by a long-legged brunette
Sterling has remained low-key since his epic fall eight years ago
Sterling hugs an acquaintance goodbye before leaving the restaurant
Sterling’s ex-girlfriend V. Stiviano was responsible for the leaked audio in which Sterling made racist comments on a photo she posted to Instagram of her posing with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you are associated with black people,” Sterling tells Stiviano in the tapes leaked to TMZ.
Sterling found himself at the center of the controversy after private footage of him with racist comments was released
The resulting firestorm resulted in the billionaire businessman being banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million by the league
The team was later sold by Shelly Sterling to former Microsoft executive Steve Balmer in August 2014 for an estimated $2 billion
“You can sleep with it on [black people]. You can bring them, you can do whatever you want,” but “the little thing I ask of you is … not to bring them to my games.”
According to Clippers CEO Andy Roeser, Stiviano released the tapes in revenge after Sterling’s wife sued her for the return of a $2.6 million Los Angeles duplex, along with a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover.
Sterling was a lawyer and real estate mogul before buying the Clippers for $12.5 million in 1981. It’s worth an estimated $3.5 billion.
The team was considered the league’s laughing stock for much of its tenure, consistently playing second fiddle to the Lakers and rarely making the NBA playoffs.
As with many scandals, the Sterling affair is set to become the subject of a mini-series on FX, in which former ‘Married… With Children’ and ‘Modern Family’ star Ed O’Neill will play Sterling.
