National Basketball Association

NBA: Wife can't keep team if Donald Sterling ousted

Published May. 11, 2014 10:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NBA says if Donald Sterling's ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers is terminated, so is Shelly Sterling's.

Hours after Shelly Sterling said she would fight to keep her ownership of the franchise even if her estranged husband can't, the league said that wouldn't be possible.

League spokesman Mike Bass says that according to the NBA constitution, "if a controlling owner's interest is terminated by a three-fourths vote, all other team owners' interests are automatically terminated as well."

Donald Sterling has been banned for life for making racist comments and Commissioner Adam Silver is urging owners to force him out.