--- description: Fines are just one option for new NBA commissioner Adam Silver to consider as the penalty for Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling title: Donald Sterling: NBA Mulls Penalty for Los Angeles Clippers Owner image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e03486cd9c1c52a/69868cf813c79fbb5b191d9f/time-s-donald-sterling-140429_01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Basketball](/tag/basketball/) ## Basketball Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's What the NBA Can Do to Donald Sterling  by [Sean Gregory](/author/sean-gregory/)  ## Sean Gregory Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Apr 28, 2014 9:38 PM CUT  Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling sits courtside at the NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles on April 4, 2010. Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling sits courtside at the NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles on April 4, 2010.Danny Moloshok—AP  by [Sean Gregory](/author/sean-gregory/)  ## Sean Gregory Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Apr 28, 2014 9:38 PM CUT NBA commissioner Adam Silver has [scheduled a news conference](http://time.com/79519/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-racist-sponsors/ "undefined") for Tuesday in New York City, at which point he may announce his punishment for Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who [purportedly made racist remarks](http://time.com/78721/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers/ "undefined") about African Americans during a private conversation revealed by TMZ. Silver, who replaced longtime NBA chief David Stern in February, promised on Saturday to move “extraordinarily quickly” on the Sterling manner. “There are broad powers in place under the NBA’s constitution and bylaws that include a range of sanctions, and all of those will be considered depending on the findings of our investigation,” Silver said. Turns out that in his first major decision as NBA commissioner — President Barack Obama even referenced Silver by name during his comments on the matter from Malaysia, so no pressure — Silver will indeed have pretty broad leeway to dole out what, in his view, is just punishment. The first, and probably least effective, option is a straight fine. NBA owners have been subject to fines before: Mark Cuban, for example, got slapped with a $500,000 [penalty](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/2002/01/08/cuban%5Ffined%5Fap/ "undefined") in 2002 for criticizing referees. Stern [fined ](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/28/sports/basketball/clippers-owner-donald-sterling-has-public-record-of-bad-behavior.html "undefined")Sterling $6 million back in 1984, after Sterling moved the Clippers from San Diego to Los Angeles without the league’s approval. Silver doesn’t need the other owners to approve a fine. But Sterling is worth $1.9 billion, according to [_Forbes_](http://www.forbes.com/profile/donald-sterling/ "undefined"). Even some recording-breaking fine — say, in the range of $10 million or so — will be a pittance for Sterling, who has a documented history of loutish behavior. Silver can also suspend Sterling, again, without a formal vote from the owners. Player suspensions are fairly straightforward: you can’t practice or play. But can an owner, who has paid millions for the asset, be kept out of his office by a third party, in this case, the commissioner? Yes. In 2000, for example, Stern [suspended](http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100118 "undefined") Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor from October 2000 through August 2001 because of a secret deal the team concocted with forward Joe Smith that circumvented the league’s salary-cap rules. During that time, Taylor could not go to games, negotiate deals or talk to reporters (ironically enough, Taylor is now interim chairman of the NBA’s board of governors). Essentially, the owner still holds on to the asset, but can’t be involved in day-to-day operations. In baseball, then commissioner Fay Vincent banned George Steinbrenner for life in 1990 for paying a gambler to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield. Vincent later allowed Steinbrenner to return for the 1993 season. Slapping an indefinite suspension on Sterling would probably be Silver’s best tactic to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. Not that Sterling doesn’t already clear economic incentive to unload the team. He purchased the franchise for $12 million back in 1981\. According to _Forbes_, the Clips are now worth $575 million, but even that figure is probably conservative: the small-market Milwaukee Bucks, sans stars like Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, just [sold](http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24529212/report-bucks-sold-to-hedge-fund-partners-for-record-550-million "undefined") for $550 million. In the open market, the Clippers would surely fetch much more. As SI.com’s Michael McCann [reports](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20140426/donald-sterling-la-clippers-adam-silver-nba/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- Sterling could appeal any kind of punishment and drag this mess out even further. The fact that the recording between Sterling and his [ex-girlfriend](http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/4/28/5660950/donald-sterling-girlfriend-recordings "undefined") could be illegal — in California, both parties to a conversation must consent a conversation being taped — may empower Sterling to put up a fight. The NBA’s best hope is that an angel investor — hey, like [this guy](http://sports.yahoo.com/news/exit-strategy-for-nba--donald-sterling--sell-clippers-to-magic-johnson-073015142.html "undefined")! — swoops in and makes Sterling an offer too good to refuse, and that Sterling comes to a common-sense conclusion: his days as an NBA owner appear numbered. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/79732/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/79732/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-2/"},"headline":"Here's What the NBA Can Do to Donald Sterling","datePublished":"2014-04-28T21:38:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:32:28.292Z","description":"Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling could face formal repercussions on Tuesday for an alleged racist rant when NBA commissioner Adam Silver makes an announcement about the probe of an incident that has sparked national uproar","url":"https://time.com/79732/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-2/","keywords":["Basketball","NBA","donald sterling","Adam Silver","Los Angeles Clippers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e03486cd9c1c52a/69868cf813c79fbb5b191d9f/time-s-donald-sterling-140429_01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sean Gregory","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e03486cd9c1c52a/69868cf813c79fbb5b191d9f/time-s-donald-sterling-140429_01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Sterling","caption":"Donald Sterling","creditText":"Danny Moloshok—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/basketball/","name":"Basketball"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/79732/donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-2/","name":"Here's What the NBA Can Do to Donald Sterling"}}]}] ```