The NBA has picked Dick Parsons, a former CEO at Time Warner, to be the interim chief executive for the Los Angeles Clippers, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday.
Parsons will come in to oversee a franchise at the center of controversy after a tape of owner Donald sterling making racist comments leaked. Sterling was banned from all NBA activities for life and received the maximum $2.5 million fine. Several celebrities have expressed interest in buying the team if Sterling is forced to sell the team.
“I believe the hiring of Dick Parsons will bring extraordinary leadership and immediate stability to the Clippers organization,” Silver said in a statement. “Dick’s credentials as a proven chief executive speak for themselves and I am extremely grateful he accepted this responsibility.”
“Like most Americans, I have been deeply troubled by the pain the Clippers’ team, fans and partners have endured,” Parsons said. Parsons added that, as a lifelong NBA fan, he is “firmly committed to the values and principles it is defending, and I completely support Adam’s leadership in navigating the challenges facing the team and the league.”
He praised the team for its strength during the controversy, adding, “I am honored to be asked to work with them, build on their values and accomplishments, and help them open a new, inspiring era for their team.”
Parsons played basketball at the University of Hawaii. He began a lengthy career at Time Warner in 1995 as president and was chairman and CEO from 2002 to 2008. After he retired there, he became chairman of Citigroup until 2012.