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Clippers have little to say about Shelly Sterling trying to retain ownership

Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling intends to keep control of the team in her family, despite the NBA’s move to oust her estranged husband, Donald Sterling.

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The Clippers were hit with yet another distraction on Wednesday when they were told that Donald Sterling’s wife, Shelly, wants to keep her ownership interest in the team.

When Clippers Coach Doc Rivers was informed about Shelly’s plan, he declined to comment on it, preferring to concentrate on his team playing Oklahoma City in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs.

Shelly told The Times in a question and answer that, “Yes,” she wants to keep the team.

According to the Sterling Family Trust, Shelly owns 50% of the Clippers and Donald owns the other 50%, according to NBA officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Shelly didn’t not attend Games 1 or 2 here in Oklahoma City.

“I have been co-owner since 1981,” she said in the statement. “During those 33 years, I have been a diehard fan even when the team was in the basement of the league. Now that all of our hard work is paying off, I want to celebrate the success that we are finally achieving.”

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has banned Donald for life and told him he must sell the team after making disparaging comments about African Americans.

The NBA said Saturday it was going to work with Clippers management to appoint a chief executive to supervise the team’s operations.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced that Clippers President Andy Roeser was taking an indefinite leave of absence, effective immediately.

The Clippers just shrugged at the recent development regarding Shelly.

“I just think it would be inappropriate to respond at this time,” said Clippers reserve guard Willie Green, who is on the executive committee of the NBA players’ union. “We’re trying to focus on the playoffs and not have any distractions.”

Blake Griffin keeps working out

It was an early Tuesday morning, about two hours before the Clippers were going to practice, and there was Blake Griffin in the small gym of the team’s hotel working out with his personal trainer Robbie Davis.

Griffin had these elastic bands strapped around his lower body doing lunges. He then stretched and used a blue medicine workout ball to do situps.

The work never stops for Griffin, even while in the middle of a second-round playoff series against the Thunder.

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“It doesn’t stop, especially right now,” Griffin said. “This is the healthiest I’ve been in the playoffs the last few years. I feel like now I have maybe a blue print. I just want to keep that up. I don’t want to stop.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner

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