( CNN ) -- As new celebrities line up to buy the Los Angeles Clippers , a group of NBA owners will meet by conference call Thursday to talk about what happens next in the uproar surrounding team owner , Donald Sterling . The 10-member NBA owners ' advisory and finance committee may discuss this question : What will happen if Sterling refuses a league directive to sell the Clippers ? Sterling 's not saying what he 'll do next , but he 's known for being litigious . Calls to his lawyer were not returned . If he does sell , the billionaire could become richer . The team he bought in 1981 for $ 12 million is now valued at about $ 575 million , according to Forbes . CNN 's Rachel Nichols said the selling price could hit $ 1 billion . The uproar over Sterling has overshadowed the NBA playoffs -- you know , the actual games . The Clippers will play in the NBA playoffs Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors . If the Clippers win , they 'll move into the next round of the playoffs . Sterling , an 80-year-old lawyer , real estate developer and entrepreneur , wo n't be there . On Tuesday , the NBA banned him from the league for life because of racist remarks made during conversations with a young female companion , V Stiviano . The remarks were released on the websites TMZ and Deadspin last weekend . Specifically , on the audio , Sterling complains that Stiviano posted Instagram photos of herself with black men , including former NBA superstar Earvin `` Magic '' Johnson . Now , in a bit of turnabout , Johnson has emerged as a potential buyer for the Clippers . Another rumored contender is a partnership between Oprah Winfrey , music-film magnate David Geffen and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison . Others who have expressed interest include boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. , ranked by Forbes as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world ; former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya ; rapper-producer-entrepreneurs Sean `` Diddy '' Combs and Dr. Dre ; rapper Rick Ross ; Rick Caruso , real estate developer and Los Angeles civic leader ; and actors Matt Damon , Whoppi Goldberg and Frankie Muniz . Sterling could be forced to sell his team if three-quarters of the owners of the 30 NBA teams agree , NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said . He 'd like the issue to come before the owners `` immediately '' but did n't lay down a timetable . Sterling could take the league to court . He 's sued the NBA before and prevailed . When he abruptly moved the team from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984 without league permission , the NBA fined him $ 25 million , but Sterling countersued . The penalty was sharply reduced and he got to keep the Clippers in Los Angeles . He 's also fought a number of housing discrimination lawsuits filed against him . Does a lawsuit have a chance ? All the NBA owners signed a waiver saying they would not sue the NBA , sports lawyer Jeffrey Kessler said on CNN 's The Lead , but that may not stop Sterling . `` He might make an argument that if he has an antitrust claim that waiver would not apply , '' Kessler said . To make that claim , he 'd have to show that something in the process was not competitive , Kessler said . CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin said the odds of Sterling winning a case `` seem basically zero . '' CNN 's Matt Smith contributed to this article .
NBA board and finance committee meet monthly . Sterling sued the NBA in 2007 . Barbara Winfrey , David Geffen , and co - founder Larry Ellison want to try to buy team . Other suitors : Magic Johnson , Matt Damon , ` ` Diddy '' Combs , and Dre .