LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer won the bidding war for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers franchise with a $2 billion (1.19 billion pounds) offer, a record for a professional basketball team, a source with knowledge of the bidding said on Thursday. Ballmer outbid two groups, one led by media mogul David Geffen that offered $1.6 billion that included TV talk show maven Oprah Winfrey and Oracle Corp CEO Larry Ellison, the source said. A group of Los Angeles investors also bid $1.2 billion for the team. A Microsoft spokesman said Ballmer was not available for comment.
The Clippers came up for sale after the National Basketball Association banned owner Donald Sterling for life because of racist remarks he made in a recorded conversation that was leaked last month to entertainment news website TMZ.com.
