LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Just hours after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and stated his intent to motivate the Board of Governors to force him to sell the team, some familiar names are appearing as potential buyers.
Many Clippers fans have shared that they would like to see former Laker great and current Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson buy the team, along with the Guggenheim group.
“We’d love to see Magic, because it would drive those Laker fans crazy,” fan Mike Nolan said.
However, Johnson, who was the subject of part of Sterling’s comments that were exposed on an audio tape over the weekend, and who received a personal apology in Silver’s press conference, said Tuesday night that he was not particularly interested in buying the team.
When asked if he intended to buy the Clippers, Johnson said, “No, there haven’t been (any) talks of that, people must link me to the team, I’ve been linked all to this situation. But, we hope that the Clippers get a great owner, whoever that’s going to be.”
Meanwhile, the names of a number of other well-known potential buyers are materializing.
Included in the initial shortlist of these potential buyers is music mogul P-Diddy, along with rapper Rick Ross. The name of boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. has also been mentioned.
Additional names include another music mogul in David Geffen, real estate developer Rick Cariso, equity man Ron Burkle, and biotech pioneer Patrick Soon.