In honor of start of NBA playoffs, Ben & David venture off the beaten path to explore one of Steve Ballmer’s most famous acquisitions, his 2014 purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise. Was this landmark purchase a steal or a turnover for the former Microsoft CEO? We speculate wildly! 

Sponsors: Statsig: <a href="https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24">https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24</a> Vanta: <a href="https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta">https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta</a> Crusoe: <a href="https://bit.ly/acquiredcrusoe">https://bit.ly/acquiredcrusoe</a>
Topics covered include: 
<ul>
<li>The Clippers’ founding in 1970 as the NBA expansion team the Buffalo Braves</li>
<li>Early ownership changes and the move west to San Diego in 1981</li>
<li>Acquisition in 1981 by LA lawyer and real estate developer Donald Sterling for $12.5M</li>
<li>Sterling's relocation of the Clippers to LA in 1984 against NBA rules</li>
<li>Struggles over the next 25 years as the “worst franchise in professional sports” according to ESPN </li>
<li>Turnaround beginning in early 2010s led by Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul</li>
<li>The bombshell in April 2014, reported by TMZ, of a taped conversation between Sterling and his mistress where Sterling makes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Sterling#Racial_remarks_and_lifetime_ban"> hugely offensive and racist comments</a>, directed in particular toward former Lakers point guard Magic Johnson</li>
<li>Fallout from the comments, resulting in a lifetime ban from NBA for Sterling, and a forced sale of the team to former Microsoft CEO, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14b-C67EXY">Steve Ballmer</a> for $2B</li>
<li>Impact of the landmark sale price on NBA and other sports franchise valuations </li>
<li>Clippers performance post-sale, and  prospects for the future </li>
<li>The opportunity for technology and business model innovation in the NBA, and professional sports in general</li>
</ul>
  Followups: 
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/13/15279266/instagram-stories-facebook-200-million-users-snapchat-clone"> Instagram Stories passes 200 million users per day</a> (including correction on the definition of DAU)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/13/15279266/instagram-stories-facebook-200-million-users-snapchat-clone"> The Last Jedi trailer</a>!</li>
<li>Clarifying Starbucks’ same store sales performance post-IPO </li>
</ul>
  The Carve Out: 
<ul>
<li>Ben: <a href="http://thisweekinstartups.com/bill-gurley-benchmark/">Bill Gurley on This Week in Startups</a></li>
<li>David: <a href="https://slate.janrainsso.com//static/server.html?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Farticles%2Farts%2Fpop_race_and_the_60s%2F2016%2F09%2Fjack_hamilton_presents_pop_race_and_the_60s_a_slate_academy.html"> Pop, Race & the '60s</a> podcast and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L7NJNVU/">Just Around Midnight</a> by Jack Hamilton</li>
</ul>

Ben Gilbert

David Rosenthal

Episode 36: The LA Clippers

In honor of start of NBA playoffs, Ben & David venture off the beaten path to explore one of Steve Ballmer’s most famous acquisitions, his 2014 purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise. Was this landmark purchase a steal or a turnover for the former Microsoft CEO? We speculate wildly!  Sponsors:Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvantaCrusoe: https://bit.ly/acquiredcrusoe [&hellip;]

Acquired Episode #36

Episode 36: The LA Clippers