With its owner accused of discrimination and banned from the NBA for life, the Los Angeles Clippers finally have a new boss. On Friday, the NBA appointed businessman Dick Parsons as the team's interim CEO.
Parsons is a noted basketball fan, having played in college. Talking to a league reporter, he said he could help the Clippers decide "do we go up, do we go down, puts his arm around the people who are involved and tell them that they're appreciated. I hope I can do that."
His appointment as CEO follows the controversy surrounding Donald Sterling and the resignation of team president Andy Roeser. It makes sense, as the National Basketball Player's Association vice president told Yahoo. "We're looking for a change in ownership—a complete change."
"Really, the league could not have made a bigger splash for a CEO than Dick Parsons," one ESPN commentator said. "We're talking about a lawyer with ties to Rockefeller, President Barack Obama."
"Dick's credentials as a proven chief executive speak for themselves and I am extremely grateful he accepted this responsibility," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a release.
Parson's credentials include previously serving as Time Warner’s CEO and even chairing Citigroup until 2012. He currently serves on the board of directors for Madison Square Garden.
Parsons doesn't have a spotless reputation, however. The businessman was caught in a fraud investigation in the 1980s, left Citigroup in the wake of lawsuits and even oversaw the Time Warner-AOL merger, which Forbes calls one of the worst business decisions ever made.
The Daily Banter sums it up, writing, "It's the same story every time: Three executive jobs, three disasters, each worse than the previous one."
Parsons will step down from his position at Madison Square Garden and join the team immediately. Meanwhile, Donald Sterling is vowing to fight any order from the NBA to sell the team.
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