Now that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said that he will try his hardest to force Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell the team, a potential buyer has emerged: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
That's right the flashy boxer whose nickname is "Money" is interested in forming a group—with himself as a majority owner—to purchase the team if it is put up for sale, the Associated Press reports.
"Do we want to buy the Clippers? Yes, we do," Mayweather told AP. "I'm very, very interested in buying the Clippers."
AP reports that Mayweather is scheduled to make $40 million or so Saturday night when he takes on Marcos Maidana and that he is in the third fight of a six-fight $250 million deal with Showtime. It also doesn't hurt that Money Mayweather is familiar with the Los Angeles area and the team as he owns a condo next to the Staples Center and tends to frequent Clippers games.
"We want to buy the Clippers and we can afford to buy the Clippers," Mayweather told AP.
AP reported that the boxer had nothing bad to say about Sterling, who now has become the face of racism after he was recorded telling a girlfriend that he didn't want her bringing blacks, including NBA great Magic Johnson, to his games. Mayweather told AP that Sterling always treated him with respect as he sat next to Sterling and his wife as a guest of the embattled owner.
But just because Mayweather has boatloads of cash doesn't mean he can just buy the team outright. The NBA has a screening process for potential buyers that includes background checks. The boxer's 2012 stint in jail on domestic violence and harassment charges filed by the mother of his children may trip him up, not to mention Mayweather's penchant for betting staggering amounts on NBA games.
Read more at the Associated Press.