But of all the people who might-could-maybe become Clippers owners, one is more fun to consider than all the rest: Bombastic boxing megastar Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who on Wednesday told Mashable more about his interest in the team.
The Mayweather-as-owner conversation started when he spoke to reporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday as part of a promotional appearance ahead of his title fight against Marcos Maidana on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Mayweather has long been a regular at Clippers and Lakers home games at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Mayweather told Mashable via email that he's meeting Wednesday night with adviser Al Haymon "and my investment group including some of my venture friends from New York and Silicon Valley," who are flying in to Vegas to talk about a potential Clippers ownership bid.
So, if and it's a big if a Mayweather group did complete a Clippers purchase, what would be his first move as owner?
"First thing I’d do is not cover up the Lakers banners," Mayweather said, referencing the Lakers championship banners that the title-less Clippers have hidden during their 2014 playoff campaign. "I think they should stand out. It makes the players hungry which will lead to championships."
As for owners he might try to pattern his own presence after?
"I like how passionate Mark Cuban is," Mayweather says. "He’s not just an owner, he’s a fan, and I like that you will see him sit anywhere. That’s how I want to be. I want to do it all – sit up top with the fans, sit in a box with partners and sit court-side near the team."
A lot has to happen for a Mayweather-led group to buy the Clippers, but it sure is fun to think about — and, by the sounds of things, an actual possibility.
First, the league has to beat any possible legal challenges Sterling might bring to a forced sale of the Clippers. Then Mayweather and his partners would have to get together enough to buy the team, which is reportedly set to fetch more than a billion dollars. (He'd also have to stop tweeting out massive sports-gambling receipts, we presume, but says he'd be willing to make that sacrifice.)
On the other hand, Mayweather is one of the world's most business-savvy athletes. He conquered social media before most, is an investor in the popular Shots app along with other tech startups, and relentlessly and smartly hypes his own fights.
Interestingly enough, though, if Mayweather did buy the Clippers, he'd being buying the team from someone who "has always treated me with the utmost respect and has never said one disrespectful thing to me." Mayweather said whenever he's attended Clippers games, Sterling "would always walk up to me and tell me that I was invited to any of the games he'd even invite me to sit with him and his wife."
That obviously runs counter to Sterling's long-standing reputation as a bigot. Despite his cordial interactions with Sterling, an opportunity to buy the Clippers might be too good for Mayweather to pass up, however.
"I’ve been offered partnerships in a few different franchises including the Kings and Bucks," he says. "It’s all about timing and the timing is right now. Mentally, I am where I need to be business wise and I think this would be the biggest deal in sports history, with the biggest athlete owning one of the best teams in the world."
And as for Sterling?
"Even though Donald is 80, I think he will become a better person after this experience," the 37-year-old Mayweather tells us.
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