Just weeks before their 60th wedding anniversary, former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling filed for divorce from his wife, Shelly Sterling, his attorney’s office confirmed Wednesday.
Donald Sterling, 81, filed divorce papers in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, according to an associate of Sterling’s attorney, Bobby Samini.
The Sterlings remained married for decades despite often-public rifts — most notably when the then-Clippers owner was frequently seen alongside a woman named V. Stiviano, whose recordings of Sterling’s racially charged comments went public and ultimately led to the $2 billion sale of the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
In the recorded conversations, Sterling criticized Stiviano for having her picture taken with black people and told her not to bring them to Clippers games.
The NBA quickly responded by imposing a lifetime ban on Sterling. The league also began the process of forcing Sterling to sell the team — an effort Sterling fought vigorously in court.
Shelly Sterling ultimately negotiated the sale of the franchise to Ballmer, a move that Donald challenged in court. Shelly Sterling countered that her aging husband had been found mentally incompetent by a pair of doctors, giving her the authority to act on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust.
A judge last July ruled in Shelly’s favor, saying she had “full authority” to sell the team.
The sale was completed in August 2014.
Shelly Sterling also took legal action against Stiviano, demanding the return of what she argued was community property that her husband gave Stiviano, whom she described as “a conniving mistress.”
A judge in April ordered Stiviano to repay Shelly Sterling more than $2.6 million in cash and real estate.
— Wire reports