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Donald Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers owner who has been banned for life by the NBA for making racist remarks, has agreed to sell the team, according to reports. Both ESPN and TMZ say that Sterling will allow his wife, Shelly, to negotiate the deal.


Sterling "has signed the Los Angeles Clippers over to his wife,"

 says, citing a source "close to the team."


The news of the possible sale hasn't been confirmed by the Clippers or the NBA, and NPR is working to confirm the story independently. We'll update this post as new details emerge.


When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced a 

 for Sterling last month, he said he would also urge the league's owners to take the team away from Sterling.
The sale could put an end to the possibility of a prolonged legal fight between Sterling and the NBA. But as basketball analyst David Aldridge notes 

, "The NBA has to approve any transfer of controlling ownership before allowing a sale."
Word that the embattled owner would agree to let his wife handle the deal emerged days after details of the NBA's formal charges against Sterling were reported by 

The league says Sterling attempted to obstruct its investigation of the controversial recording that led to the scandal; it also cast doubt on reports that the married couple are "estranged," as has been widely reported.

 quotes NBA spokesman Mike Bass as saying the league will proceed with a vote to force the sale of the team:
"We continue to follow the process set forth in the NBA Constitution regarding termination of the current ownership interests in the Los Angeles Clippers and are proceeding toward a hearing on this matter on June 3," Bass said.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sports

Donald Sterling has agreed to let his wife negotiate a deal to sell the Los Angeles Clippers, according to reports. Sterling was banned for life by the NBA for making racist remarks.

Reports: Clippers owner Sterling agrees to sell team

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