The next steps on the road to removing Donald Sterling as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers have been put into motion.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, the NBA Advisory Committee has unanimously voted to move forward on removing Sterling as owner:
NBA advisory committee, including @JeanieBuss, unanimously agreed to move forward "expeditiously as possible" on removing Sterling as owner.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) May 1, 2014
What this means is that the advisory committee, consisting of 10 NBA owners, will bring this issue to a vote with the other 19 owners. If there is a 75 percent majority, Sterling will be forced to sale the Clippers.
Equally as important is the fact that they are trying to get this done as ‘expeditiously as possible’ so they are not trying to let this issue linger around the league.
After a recording leaked of Sterling making racist remarks to his girlfriend, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Sterling would be banned for life from the NBA, and that he would move to force Sterling to sale the Clippers.
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The decision was met with widespread approval from current and former players and coaches from around the league.
Sterling is expected to fight the ruling and has already stated that he does not plan on selling the Clippers. This could lead to a drawn out legal battle between the two sides.
While it is unknown exactly when everything will come to a head, the advisory committee is expected to meet again next week according to Ding:
NBA Advisory Committee will reconvene next week on Sterling. (Jeanie replaced her father on NBA's 10-member executive committee.)
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) May 1, 2014
The NBA has done an excellent job at moving swiftly in regards to this incident, but there are still a lot of steps that must take place before Sterling is officially removed.
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Bans Clippers Owner Donald Sterling For LIFE