Summary: In honor of the start of NBA playoffs, Ben & David venture off the beaten path to explore one of Steve Ballmer’s most famous acquisitions, his 2014 purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise. Was this landmark purchase a steal or a turnover for the former Microsoft CEO? We speculate wildly! Topics covered include: * The Clippers’ founding in 1970 as the NBA expansion team the Buffalo Braves * Early ownership changes and the move west to San Diego in 1981 * Acquisition in 1981 by LA lawyer and real estate developer Donald Sterling for $12.5M * Sterling's relocation of the Clippers to LA in 1984 against NBA rules * Struggles over the next 25 years as the "worst franchise in professional sports” according to ESPN * Turnaround beginning in early 2010s led by Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul * The bombshell in April 2014, reported by TMZ, of a taped conversation between Sterling and his mistress where Sterling makes hugely offensive and racist comments, directed in particular toward former Lakers point guard Magic Johnson * Fallout from the comments, resulting in a lifetime ban from NBA for Sterling, and a forced sale of the team to former Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer for $2B * Impact of the landmark sale price on NBA and other sports franchise valuations * Clippers performance post-sale, and prospects for the future * The opportunity for technology and business model innovation in the NBA, and professional sports in general Followups: * Instagram Stories passes 200 million users per day (including correction on the definition of DAU) * The Last Jedi trailer! * Clarifying Starbucks’ same store sales performance post-IPO The Carve Out: * Ben: Bill Gurley on This Week in Startups * David: Pop, Race & the '60s podcast and Just Around Midnight by Jack Hamilton
