American talk show host Oprah Winfrey has added her name to the list of stars looking to buy the Los Angeles Clippers.

After Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, a number of people have expressed an interest in the franchise including Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Magic Johnson.

But now Oprah has joined David Geffen and Larry Ellison and formed a consortium to take over the NBA team.

Television entrepreneur Winfrey, is joining forces with the world's fifth richest man, Ellison and entertainment mogul Geffen to pry the franchise from Sterling's grip - after he revealed he would not sell the team he bought for $12 million (£7.1m) in 1982.

Mayweather, meanwhile, wants to put the $40 million which is his guaranteed minimum for Saturday night’s fight towards cost to purchase the Clippers.

However, despite the celebrity billionaire interest, Sterling is refusing to sell his team - signaling a lengthy and costly legal battle with the NBA.

 

 

 

NBA commissioner Silver has told Sterling that he wants him to sell the Clippers as part of the extreme sanctions brought against the owner in response to racist comments he was recorded making by a former girlfriend.

'I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him,' Silver said.

The NBA on Tuesday banned Sterling from the game for life and fined him $2.5 million for racist comments that drew a storm of outrage from players, fans and commercial sponsors.