Forbes: Clippers' Steve Ballmer ranked as the richest owner in pro sports / News - Basketnews.com

Los Angeles Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer tops Forbes' list for richest owners in sports for the 8th year in a row, with a net worth estimated at $83 billion.

Credit: USA Today Sports – Scanpix Credit USA Today Sports – Scanpix

For the 8th year in a row, Steve Ballmer is the richest owner in professional sports. The former Microsoft CEO, who purchased the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014 for $2 billion, was once again named the richest owner in sports by Forbes.

The LA Clippers finished ninth in the Western Conference last season and ended their season by losing twice in the NBA play-in tournament, but their owner is staying on top.

Ballmer, who was the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, has a net worth estimated at $83 billion. Despite a drop of $13.5 billion due to Microsoft's stock valuation, he's also the eighth-richest person in the world according to the publication. The Clippers are reportedly worth about $3.3 billion.

Robert Pera, owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, is No. 4, and Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, fell from No. 2 to No. 6. His move down was due to Rocket Mortgage, the company he founded and owns, losing half its stock valuation.

More than 10% of Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans own a professional sports team. While a basketball owner is on top, the top 10 richest owners list is dominated by NFL owners.

For instance, new Denver Broncos owner and Walmart heir Rob Walton is second on the list ($57 billion); Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC owner David Tepper is third at about $18.5 billion, while Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones - whose franchise is valued at $8 billion, the most in all of professional sports - is seventh at about $16 billion, which is up nearly 76% in the past year.

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