LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Sweating, clapping and shouting until he was nearly hoarse, Steve Ballmer introduced himself to Los Angeles Clippers fans at a rally on Monday celebrating his new ownership of the NBA team.
The former Microsoft CEO made his way through the crowd inside Staples Center to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” exchanging high-fives and chest-bumping as he took the stage in front of 4,500 fans.
Ballmer paid a record $2 billion for the team in a sale that was confirmed by a judge last week. The name of disgraced former owner Donald Sterling, who controlled the team for 33 years before being banned for life by the NBA for racist remarks, was never uttered during the rally.
“We’re looking forward,” Ballmer proclaimed, having removed his blue Clippers hat. “Everything is about looking forward.”
Ballmer’s fervor was in stark contrast to Sterling, who never spoke to the media and was famously frugal when it came to spending on the team during decades of losing.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
