[May 28, 2014](Reuters) - Donald Sterling, banned
from owning a pro basketball team for inflammatory remarks he made about
African Americans, called the National Basketball Association's action
illegal because it was based on a "lover's quarrel" that was "illegally
recorded."
"This was an argument between a jealous man and the woman he loved
that should never have left the privacy of the living room,"
Sterling said in a letter to the NBA obtained by the Los Angeles
Times.
Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the letter.
Sterling, controlling owner of the Los Angeles Clippers for 33
years, came under fire after TMZ.com posted an audio recording of
him criticizing a female friend for publicly associating with black
people, including NBA great "Magic" Johnson.
The NBA said in a statement on Tuesday night that it had received a
response from Donald and Shelly Sterling regarding his termination,
and added that the league's Board of Governors will hold a vote on
eliminating Sterling's stake at a hearing set for June 3, when he
can address the charges before his fellow owners.
If at least 23 of the other 29 owners vote to terminate Sterling's
ownership of the franchise, the Clippers would have to be sold, the
NBA said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last week he would prefer to let
Donald Sterling and his wife Shelley Sterling sell the team "on a
reasonable timetable" rather than proceed with trying to forcibly
terminate their ownership.
Sterling handed controlling interest in his team to his wife, the
co-owner, and she began negotiating with the league to sell the
club, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources.
Sterling said in the letter that he has received offers "in excess
of $2.5 billion" for the team, but did not name potential buyers.
(Reporting By Ronald Grover; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
