Donald Sterling fails with appeal to reverse Los Angeles Clippers sale

Donald Sterling has lost an appeal to reverse the 2014 sale of the Los Angeles Clippers. The NBA announced the decision to hand Sterling a lifetime ban from the league after he was recorded telling his girlfriend that he did not want her to bring black players to games at the Staples Center.

His estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, soon took control of the family trust and sold the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge prevented any blocking of the agreement.

The appeals court confirmed on Monday that Sterling had failed to show any evidence that the judge had committed a legal error, while also ruling that the decision to sell the Clippers prevented the trust from suffering an “extraordinary loss”.

Sterling’s wife sold the Clippers to Ballmer for a reported $2bn (£1.3bn) after the sale was given the all-clear.