Donald Sterling (born Donald Tokowitz) is an American businessman, lawyer, and former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA). Born in Chicago in 1934 to Russian immigrant parents, his family moved to the low-income Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles when he was young. Sterling attended Theodore Roosevelt High School.

He earned a B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1960. In 1959, he and his wife changed their surname to Sterling (from Tokowitz) for perceived financial benefits. He began his career as a divorce and personal injury attorney in 1961, using his earnings to methodically acquire real estate.

Donald Sterling's career is primarily defined by his real estate holdings. He became the largest residential landlord in Los Angeles by methodically buying down-at-the-heels properties and holding them, rarely selling his assets. He renamed several large apartment buildings as Sterling Towers, reflecting his focus on personal branding in real estate.

In 1981, he bought the San Diego Clippers for $12.5 million, relocating them to Los Angeles in 1984. His 33-year ownership tenure was plagued by mismanagement, frugality, and controversy (including discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits). The end came in 2014 when he was caught on tape making racist comments, leading to a lifetime ban from the NBA and a forced sale of the Clippers (which sold for a record $2 billion). His multi-billion dollar net worth (estimated at $4.4 billion in 2025) is secured by the colossal, appreciating value of his private real estate portfolio.

Donald Sterling's social impact is predominantly negative and controversial, marked by a long history of racial discrimination lawsuits in his real estate practices and the high-profile public scandal of 2014. The forced sale of the Clippers, while controversial in its mechanism, was viewed as a major victory for corporate ethical responsibility in sports.

His structural contribution is tied to his role as a major landlord in Los Angeles, though his business practices were notoriously problematic and led to significant legal challenges.

Donald Sterling maintains the extravagant, high-profile style of a controversial Los Angeles real estate mogul. His attire is consistently formal and high-quality, favoring expensive suits. His aesthetic is defined by his commitment to his personal brand and his massive, largely unseen, real estate portfolio.

His luxury is the immense security and financial power derived from his multi-billion dollar real estate holdings. His life is defined by his commitment to asset accumulation and his decades-long entanglement in high-profile legal and ethical controversies.