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NBA Announces It Will Appoint CEO to Run Los Angeles Clippers
May 3, 2014
In an effort to make sure the Los Angeles Clippers run smoothly in a time of turmoil, the NBA has decided to appoint someone to take charge of the organization.
Bleacher Report's Howard Beck provides the details:
Beck also quotes the league's Executive Vice President of Communications, Mike Bass, describing the situation:
A CEO is necessary for the Clippers, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned owner Donald Sterling for life following racist comments that TMZ made public. Silver also fined the longtime owner $2.5 million, which is the maximum amount in the current rules, and urged other owners to force Sterling to sell his team.
Silver explained in a press conference, "We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views. They simply have no place in the NBA."
This puts the organization in an awkward situation without a true leader, which is a major problem considering that the Clippers are still making a run in the NBA playoffs. They will host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in a series-deciding Game 7.
With Sterling unable to attend the games or make any decisions, the league is forced to appoint someone who is capable of filling in.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times points out that this is similar to a business in need:
As he also notes, there has been no decision at the moment as to who the CEO will be, but you can be certain that it will be someone trustworthy and hopefully impartial that will only help the franchise.
This is a tough time for everyone involved, but it appears as though Silver and the rest of the league will do anything within their power to keep things running as smoothly as possible.
Though progress is being made, it's clear this situation is far from being resolved.
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