Now that L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned from the National Basketball Association for life, the fate of the team is up in the air.
Commissioner Adam Silver said Sterling will be forced to relinquish his hold on the L.A. team and a slew of buyers are suiting up to take his place. Folks have ventured that Magic Johnson, Floyd Mayweather and others are potential buyers.
But most interesting of these (to us at least) are hip-hop moguls who are in the running. Pro basketball players and rappers have long been correlated so itap no real surprise at some of the names cropping up. From Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to Dr. Dre and Rick Ross, the likelihood of a music mogul acquiring ownership is actually quite plausible.
Here are five hip-hop moguls who have expressed interest or would be a fitting new Clippers owner:
Diddy:
The Bad Boy Records mogul consistently tops Forbes list of the richest in hip-hop. So, money for Diddy isn’t an issue. As such, he about purchasing the team. We’re not entirely against this, unless he tries to outfit the starting five in those awful Velour warm-up suits from his Sean Jean line, of course.
Rick Ross:
Even though Rick Ross is known to be a bit of an embellisher, we’d like to believe that he’s serious about buying the Clippers, which He was smart about it, though, being sure to include the Rick Ross-endorsed Wingstop in the tweet. Sure Ross is a wealthy guy, but since he’s by no means “Diddy rich” he’d have to sell a whole lot of lemon pepper wings to be a strong contender.
Dr. Dre
We wish Dr. Dre was more concerned with the release of “Detox” instead of a pro basketball team. But alas, the West Coast legend has other business ventures on his mind, absolutely interested in buying the Clippers. As No. 2 on Forbes list of richest hip-hop moguls, you can bet he will (literally) give Diddy a run for his money.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop is a longtime Lakers fan, but when the news about Donald Sterling broke, he was one of the first to release a profanity-laden tirade against the business magnate Snoop might not have the coins to buy the Clippers outright, but never count a man with a fresh French Manicure out of the game.
Jay-Z
Hova has been there and done that when it comes to partial ownership of an NBA team. Considering his fellow rap brethren who have expressed interest, don’t be surprised if Hov throws his hat in the game. He does have the money and the business knowhow to back up the job. Plus, the Jay-Z Clippers kind of has a ring to it.
Follow our news and updates on , our relationship status on and our search history on . Or send us a telegram.
Ru Johnson is an arts and culture music writer living in Denver. You can follow her on
