Steve Ballmer, the former chief executive of Microsoft, is leading an auction to buy the Los Angeles Clippers basketball franchise after submitting a $2bn bid, according to a person familiar with the matter.
However, it is unclear if Mr Ballmer’s bid, which has trumped rival offers will count because Donald Sterling, the team’s owner, has not decided to sell.
Mr Sterling’s wife, Shelly, enlisted Bank of America to identify buyers for the Clippers after Mr Sterling was threatened with expulsion by the National Basketball Association. The league’s threat came after Mr Sterling was secretly recorded making disparaging remarks about black people.