LA Clippers Update: Steve Ballmer Now Officially Owns the Team, Promises Dedication in Midst of Controversy

After three months in limbo, where court battles and public outcry prevailed, the Los Angeles Clippers are officially no longer the property of Donald Sterling. They have a new owner, Steve Ballmer, who signed the last of the contracts on Tuesday to secure the $2 billion sale of the team.

Since 1981, the Clippers have been in the hands of Donald Sterling, who originally purchased the team for $12 million. Sterling later decided to move the franchise from San Diego to Los Angeles, where the team has stayed for nearly 30 years.

The Los Angeles Clippers remained a lame duck franchise until being gifted the draft pick of Blake Griffin. Griffin changed the culture of the Clippers, and made the team a hot destination for free agents like Chris Paul and J.J. Reddick. Ballmer hopes to keep the momentum rolling.

"It's very, very exciting. I'm a basketball nut," Ballmer said in an interview with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "I've got time. I love Los Angeles. I love Seattle, too, which is where we have our home. But the notion of spending a lot of time in Los Angeles has been exciting to me for years. The community down there is great. I look forward to supporting the community, the fan base, the staff, Doc and the players to take this thing to higher heights."

Ballmer has promised to be more of a hands-on owner than many critics have suggested he'll be. The former Microsoft CEO claims to be a hardcore basketball fan, which should help when it comes to big decisions about basketball affairs.

Not to mention that Ballmer is a professional business manager, and with that experience comes the knowledge of outsourcing tasks to those who know best. The most successful owners in sports know how to choose the right people to make decisions.

"There's real earnings in this business. There's real upside opportunity. So compared to the things I looked at in tech, this was a reasonable purchase and it's one I'm really excited about. Plus, I'm really excited about the product. I love it. I've been to over a hundred basketball games in the last year, and that's just high school games," said Ballmer.

Shelly Sterling had nothing but positive words for Ballmer, perhaps because he was more than fair when it came to the specifics of the team sale.

"I am thrilled that the Clippers now have such a wonderful new owner," said Shelly Sterling. "I am happy for the team, the fans, the sponsors and the city of Los Angeles."