Floyd Mayweather has said that he and some other investors would be interested in buying the LA Clippers, after current owner Donald Sterling was banned for life after his racist comments came to light.
"I can't come in here talking about Mayweather only going to get 3% or 4%," Mayweather said, speaking in the third person at the MGM Grand. "I got to get a solid percentage.
"But do we want to buy the Clippers? Yes we do. We're very, very interested in buying the Clippers."
The undefeated fighter faces Marcos Maidana on Saturday. He denied that he would move the Clippers to Las Vegas should he and his business partners make a successful bid for the franchise: "No, we'll leave the Clippers right where they're at. Actually when I'm not boxing, I'm at the games all the time anyway, because I can walk to the games (from his home)."
Mayweather is apparently a fan of both the LA Clippers and the Lakers. I'm not sure if such divided loyalty is common in the city, but I suppose when you're Floyd Mayweather nobody is going to question your choice of team(s).
Most surprisingly of all, Mayweather refused to criticise Sterling, who in addition to his lifteime ban received a $2.5 million ban from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver."I don't have nothing negative to say about the guy," Mayweather said. "He's always treated me with the utmost respect, he has always invited me to games, always. And he always says, 'Floyd, I want you to sit right next to me and my wife.'"
The world's best pound-for-pound fighter isn't the only high-profile personality to have expressed an interest in buying the Clippers. Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz is now 28 and seems to spend his days racing cars, playing the drums in a band and allegedly indulging in a bit of domestic abuse.
I am buying the Los Angeles Clippers.
— Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz) April 29, 2014
In a long but amusing Facebook status update, Muniz recalled how he became a childhood Clippers fan in 1994 thanks to NBA Live '95 on the Super Nintendo.
To be honest, they were the only team that I didn't know who any of the players on the team were, so I didn't mind deleting them and making myself, my mom, dad and my cats (Polly and Pete) the new starting lineup for the team on the game. From that day forward in 1994, I have been a die-hard Clippers fan.
He also ripped into Sterling and praised the severity of his punishment.
There is no place in the NBA for people like Donald Sterling. I think the punishment the NBA has imposed on him was well warranted.
When I see ?#?BoycottClippers? trending, it hurts. When you boycott the Clippers, Donald Sterling is not the only to suffer. The players do, the coaches do, all the Clippers staff does. The people working at the arena, selling hot dogs, taking tickets.. they suffer too. They shouldn't. Mr. Sterling should and we can only hope that the sanctions passed down onto him will cause that suffering.
I hope the fans come out and continue to support this team. Help this team continue to win. Show that everyone, all races, genders, can come together and BEAT his racist remarks. I believe the longer the team can win, the more this will remain a conversation in which we can continue to learn from and teach to ALL generations that actions like his will not be acceptable.
Muniz also said that a long-standing dream of his has been to own the Clippers. Despite the massive amount of money he earned from his teen TV career, he probably can't afford to make a realistic bid, but maybe he can jump aboard Money Mayweather's bandwagon? The only problem is that Muniz is no lover of the Lakers.
As an @LAClippers fan, no two colors make me want to barf more than purple and yellow. Yuck. #lakercolorsarenasty
— Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz) April 6, 2014
However, he might be swayed by the potential invovlement of Oscar de la Hoya in the whole business. He said: "I hope to be a part of positive change for the league.
"When it comes to business, what better than two minorities? The commissioner wanted to see more minority ownership in the NBA," De La Hoya told USA Today.
"If he wants more minorities involved in the NBA, what better than me and Floyd to be part of a potential ownership group?"
