10 Secret Reasons Ballmer Bought LA Clippers
Sure, running an NBA team can be fun and exciting, but here are the real reasons former Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer paid $2 billion of his own money for the franchise.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/blt535e34cc50260008/64cb57690a012e5dc97254de/laclippers.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Steve Ballmer cut his official ties with Microsoft on Aug. 19, giving up his seat on the company's board of directors to focus on other commitments, mainly his ownership of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.
In an open letter to Satya Nadella, who succeeded Ballmer as Microsoft CEO in February, Ballmer said he's backing away from the company amid the rigors of the upcoming NBA season and his civic and teaching duties. Ballmer noted that he's still Microsoft's largest shareholder "other than index funds," emphasizing that he remains committed to the company he served for 34 years.
"Count on me to keep ideas and inputs flowing," he wrote. "The company will move to higher heights. I will be proud, and I will benefit through my share ownership."
A day before he stepped down from Microsoft, a gesticulating, screaming Ballmer (is there any other kind?) led a "fan festival" at the Staples Center that included players, coaches, local politicians, and thousands of Clippers faithful. "We're going to be bold," Ballmer, whose $2 billion acquisition of the basketball franchise was approved by the NBA on Aug. 12, told the frenzied crowd. "Bold doesn't mean everything changes. Bold means you're willing to take risks… If you're not being bold, you're being timid."
Ballmer, however, wasn't so public about what attracted him to the Clippers in the first place. And so we reveal, in descending order, the top 10 secret reasons for his bold acquisition. Click through for a few surprises.
Team needed diversion from Donald Sterling pregnancy scandal.
New owners must be louder than a Craig Sager sports jacket.
Alpaca farms aren't the $2 billion investment vehicle they used to be.
Source: Georgia Alpaca Association
6-foot, 5-inch Ballmer is less of a defensive liability than Blake Griffin.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Answered call of NBA commish Alan Silver for a "bald new Clippers era."
Source: MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Meet Monty the Monopolist.
NBA sought radical departure from privileged-white-owner archetype.
They'll charge season ticket holders 22% maintenance fees.
Gets access to Clippers' hip celebrity fans: Danny Bonaduce, Mason Reese, and "That Guy Who Played Screech."
Running a Lakers wannabe is more fun than running a Google wannabe.
Running a Lakers wannabe is more fun than running a Google wannabe.
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