NBA moves ahead with forced Sterling sale

The NBA announced Thursday that it is moving forward in the process to force suspended Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell the team.

The 10-member Advisory-Finance Committee met through a conference call and unanimously voted to pursue the ouster of Sterling as quickly as possible. The committee will meet again next week.

“This afternoon, the Advisory/Finance Committee met via conference call to discuss the process for termination of Donald T. Sterling’s ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers,” said Mike Bass, the NBA’s executive vice president of communications. “The Committee unanimously agreed to move forward as expeditiously as possible and will reconvene next week.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver suspended Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million on Tuesday after the 80-year-old owner made racial comments to his girfriend that were exposed by TMZ last weekend. Silver also requested that the NBA Board of Governors move to force the sale of the team, which requires three-quarters of the owners to approve the action.

Members of the Advisory/Finance Committee include Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, Los Angeles Lakers part owner and president of business operations Jeanie Buss, New York Knicks owner James Dolan, Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and president Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Raptors.