When NBA commissioner Adam Silver dropped the hammer on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling by banning him for life and fining him $2.5 million, many assumed the embattled owner wouldn’t go down without a fight.
They were right.
According to a report from ESPN, Sterling’s lawyer has informed the NBA that the owner will not be paying the $2.5 million fine and will sue the league if he is not awarded due process.
The report states that Sterling’s fine, which was the maximum amount allowed under NBA bylaws, was due earlier this week.
Sterling’s punishment was the result of racist remarks he made during a conversation with his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, who allegedly recorded their discussion and sold the audio to TMZ.com.
A report from SI.com states that Sterling hired prominent antitrust lawyer Maxwell Belcher in the wake of the incident, and that Belcher sent a letter to the NBA claiming that the Clippers owner had done nothing wrong and that “no punishment is warranted.”
Sterling admitted his own wrongdoings last weekend, however, telling Anderson Cooper during an interview on CNN that he “made a terrible, terrible mistake.”
Under NBA bylaws, Sterling’s ownership of the Clippers could be terminated if he fails to pay his fine within 30 days. In the meantime, it appears the 80-year-old owner will do everything he can to drag out the current process.
Photo via Twitter/@SINow
