By Rick Reeno

Five division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has revealed his interest in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers. Earlier today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million dollars for making racist comments. Silver wants to apply pressure on Sterling to sell the team.

The Sterling saga first started several days ago, when a taped telephone conversation was leaked to the press, where Sterling asked his girlfriend to stop bringing "black people" to his games. He made several other racial remarks in the course of the conversation.

Mayweather has already spoken with his adviser Al Haymon about the possibility of purchasing the team. Mayweather is a huge basketball fan and often seen courtside, especially in Los Angeles for games involving the Clippers, and their hometown rival the Lakers.

"I called Al today about that to see if me, Leonard [Ellerbe] and Al, and, hopefully [Golden Boy] Richard [Schaefer] and a couple of other guys, a couple other of my billionaire guys, we can come together and see what we can come up with," Mayweather said. "I can't come in talking about Mayweather only gonna get 3 percent, 4 percent. I got to get a solid percentage. Do we want to buy the Clippers? Yes, we do."

Regarding Sterling himself, Mayweather says he doesn't have any problems with the Clippers owner and made it clear that Sterling has always treated him with respect.

"Donald Sterling, he's been getting a lot of negative press and my thing is this.....I don't have nothing negative to say about this guy. He's always treated me with the utmost respect. He has always invited me to games. Has always told me, 'Floyd, I want you to sit right next to me and my wife,'" Mayweather said.