Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer: From 'Cure' to Leaving His Own Stain

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was supposed to erase the stain left by Donald Sterling, but instead he ended up leaving a stain of his own.

The nature of the two men's wrongdoing was different. Sterling brought shame to the team through racist remarks, while Ballmer damaged the team's integrity.

Both turned the owner into the team's biggest source of embarrassment. Ballmer was penalized over allegations that he used team business relationships to provide millions of dollars to Kawhi Leonard and circumvent the salary cap, which was especially shocking because he had initially been viewed as the 'cure' for all of Sterling's damage.

From 'cleaner' to 'another disgrace'

Sterling ran the Clippers for decades, turning the team into one of the NBA's most frugal, ineffective, and embarrassing organizations. When his racist comments forced him to leave, everything about the team seemed contaminated.

Ballmer arrived as the 'cleaner.'

The $2 billion he spent in 2014 was not just about buying a basketball team, but about carrying out an 'exorcism.'

He had seemingly endless money and overflowing enthusiasm. He shouted from the sidelines and bounced around on stages, bringing the same drive that helped him reach the top of Microsoft to challenge the Clippers' mediocrity.

He spent money on players, coaches, executives, and facilities. He built Intuit Dome, a $2 billion basketball palace, an 18,000-seat technology-heavy sanctuary that finally stopped the Clippers from feeling like 'tenants' in the Lakers' arena and gave them a home designed to represent everything Sterling had never done.

Sterling was stingy, while Ballmer spent freely.

Sterling was indifferent, while Ballmer was obsessed.

Sterling embarrassed the Clippers, while Ballmer made the Clippers matter.

Twelve years later, Ballmer has become the latest entry in the history of a team filled with shameful chapters.

This team once moved to Los Angeles without NBA approval, once celebrated Black History Month in the wrong month, and once traded away Moses Malone...