SPECIAL REPORT: Steve Ballmer

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Team(s) owned / ownership stake: Los Angeles Clippers | majority

Other businesses/titles: Former chief executive of Microsoft

How did you come to own a sports team?

My interest in owning an NBA team dates back several years, and when it became clear that the Clippers would become available, I was super interested and jumped in to the process immediately.

Is it an investment or more of a hobby?

I would never call this a hobby. I don’t look at being an owner of an NBA team as a hobby at all. I love basketball, I love winning and I love running businesses well. I want to do everything possible to accomplish our goal of winning a championship. So that is the investment – I am invested in making sure Doc Rivers and our players have everything they need to win a title.

Is it a good investment?

Of course I think it is a good investment – I paid what I did because I wanted to own a team in Los Angeles and a team that I thought could be successful both on and off the court. Financially, I think the investment will perform as well as the stock market.

Other than winning, what’s the best thing about owning part of a sports team?

I love being a part of it. I love basketball and the NBA, and I really enjoy the competition and the relationships with people like Doc Rivers and our players that I have made. We have same great returning guys who I have gotten to know and love and we have a number of guys who joined the team this year who will be great fun to get to know in action and off the court.

What’s the worst thing (besides losing)?

The losing really is the worst part. Sorry, it really is that simple.

How many games a season do you attend?

I attend as many games as I can. Last season I was at the majority of home games, made it to a few road games and was at every single playoff game. I won’t miss a playoff game. This season, I plan on being at every Clippers home game that I can. As long as my son doesn’t have a high school game that night, I will be there.

What was your favorite team when you were growing up?

I grew up in the Detroit area, so I was a fan of those teams. I was a Pistons fans growing up.

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