Q&A: What kind of Clippers owner would Steve Ballmer be?
Steve Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO, has apparently won the Clippers bidding war with a whopping $2-billion offer that may wrest the team away from Donald Sterling, after the legal shenanigans are over. Now the question is, what kind of owner would Ballmer be. Here's a look at some possibilities.
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer speaks during a press conference in March 2008. (Kay Nietfeld / EPA)
Q. Ballmer's a tech guy and really only needs to sign the checks. But does he know anything about basketball?
A. Ballmer, 58, was born and raised in Detroit. He went to Country Day School in Beverly Hills – Michigan — which has a strong basketball tradition and has produced NBA stars Shane Battier and Chris Webber. He was good in school and a total math nerd, reportedly scoring a perfect 800 on the mathematics portion of the SAT. But he loved basketball. While a student at Harvard, the future billionaire landed a job tracking assists and rebounds for the men's basketball team. The pay was a little south of what he makes now, but he did get great seats and a $12-a-game paycheck, according to ESPN's Pablo Torre.
For years, Ballmer led efforts to bring the NBA back to Seattle. It's about community, according to a person familiar with the bid. Ballmer sees an NBA team (or two) as an important part of the fabric of a city.
Q. But whose city? Are we in danger of seeing the Clippers sail to Seattle?
A. Ballmer says no. He has some ties to the City of Angels, as his son attended USC. Last year, Ballmer opened Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Division in Santa Monica and relocated the software and sales divisions from its downtown offices to Playa Vista — just a couple of miles from the Clippers' training facility, which drastically reduces his L.A. commute.
Also, Los Angeles has more than a few Starbucks to choose from.
Q. Does Ballmer have what it takes to be a good owner?
A. Well he does have his interest in basketball as well as his net worth of $20 billion. If you are wondering whom he will target in the off-season, our guess is you don't have to look any further than the most decorated hoops star from his alma mater: Jeremy Lin. Lin has one more year left on a contract with the Rockets that is set to pay him nearly $15 million, but Houston would probably welcome a “Let's make a deal!” mentality.
Q. Let's just imagine. What would it be like if Ballmer ran the Clippers like Microsoft?
A. He would redesign the team every four years (Clippers 2.0). The new team would be met with widespread anger from old fans until they gradually accepted the new team, at which point he would redesign the team again (Clippers XP).
Most likely, he would reinstitute the high school-style pep rally every Friday and would out-sweat every owner in the league. The video proof:.
And then, there is the issue of the mascot and probably the first move Ballmer would make. Clippy, the animated paper clip assistant in the Microsoft Office products, will definitely become the new Clippers mascot and answer the most-asked question of L.A.'s other team: What is a “Clipper”?
L.A. Times reporter James Rainey contributed to this report.
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