Shelly Sterling takes control of the Clipper sale (Twitpic/ NBA Meme Team)

Sources close to the Clippers informed TMZ that Donald Sterling is handing over control of the team to his wife, Rochelle "Shelly" Sterling, so that she can negotiate the sale of the Clippers with the NBA on her own terms.

Speculators believe that Donald Sterling’s choice may have been prompted by fear of the NBA forcing Sterling into an involuntary sale. 

Shelly Sterling and her attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, are reported to have been holding secret meetings with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for the past few weeks in hopes of reaching mutually satisfying terms for the sale. Her lawyers have told the NBA she wants to keep 50 percent interest in the team, but it seems that the NBA continues to push for a complete sale of the team. 

"We continue to follow the process set forth in the NBA Constitution regarding termination of the current ownership interests in the Los Angeles Clippers and are proceeding toward a hearing on this matter on June 3,” said NBA spokesman Mike Bass in a press release. 

In the mean time, former NBA stars Yao Ming and Grant Hill are both working separately to gather groups of investors to bid on the team. Interest in buying the Clippers has also been expressed by Magic Johnson, Larry Ellison, David Geffen, Oprah Winfrey, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Guggenheim Partners, billionaire Antony Ressler, boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya, Sean Combs, Rick Ross and Rich Caruso. 

Contact Deputy Editor Sara Newman here. Follow her on Twitter here.