Cornered at event, Donald Sterling says ‘it’s good, it’s all good’

Loathed as an alleged racist, labeled senile by those close to him and forced to sell his NBA team, Donald Sterling assured a reporter who cornered him Tuesday night that “it’s all good.”

“I feel fabulous. I feel very good. Everything is just the way it should be, really,” the 80-year-old billionaire told NBC4’s Fred Roggin as he left a benefit for the homeless services nonprofit Shelter Partnerships. “It may have worked out differently, but it’s good, it’s all good.”

Sterling was asked how he felt after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver forced him to sell the team he bought for $12.5 million in 1981. Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly, assumed control of the team and agreed to sell it last week for $2 billion.

“I’m OK, I’m OK,” Sterling said. “Is the NBA OK? I’m not sure about that.”

Sterling was fined, banned from league activities and forced to sell the team after recordings of him making racially charged statements became public.

He is considering suing his wife of 58 years, who asserted sole control of the family trust after doctors determined he was no longer able to conduct his own business affairs. He believes that if he had conducted the sale of the team, instead of his wife, he might have pushed the $2-billion price tag even higher, his lawyer, Max Blecher, told The Times on Tuesday.

Shelly Sterling has said in media interviews that her estranged husband is suffering from dementia.

Donald Sterling raised more than a few eyebrows Sunday when he attended the mostly black Zion Missionary Baptist Church in South L.A. Invited by Pastor J. Benjamin Hardwick, the visit churned mixed feelings for congregants and neighbors of the church.