Report: Steve Ballmer to Buy LA Clippers

Steve Ballmer is a very rich man from his days at Microsoft, and it looks like he's about to acquire a rich man's hobby: The LA Times reports that the former CEO has won the bidding war to become the new owner of the LA Clippers for $2 billion. The newspaper says Shelly Sterling has already picked him over the other main contenders, including a group with Hollywood mogul David Geffen that came in at $1.6 billion. TMZ, however, reports that the deal is not cinched quite yet and that Sterling is still meeting with the various groups.

Either way, estranged husband Donald must ultimately sign off on a final deal, and it remains unclear whether he'll go along with it or fight to keep the team. The development comes less than a week before an NBA hearing aimed at ousting him over his racial remarks. If Ballmer's offer is accepted, it would be the second-highest price ever paid for a sports team in North America, notes the LA Times, behind only the $2.1 billion paid for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. (More Steve Ballmer stories.)