Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has signed an agreement with the Sterling family trust to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion, ESPN reports. Luckily for Clippers fans the binding agreement does not need to go to Donald Sterling for approval and will move directly to the NBA offices.

Ballmer showed that he had the deepest pockets of those interested by offering $2 billion, an amount significantly higher than the next two closest bids of $1.6 billion and 1.2 billion.

The challengers to the $2 Billion tag were a group led by David Geffin and another by Los Angeles investors Tony Ressler and Steve Karsh. Geffen’s group carried notable names such as Oprah Winfrey, Laurene Jobs the widow of Steve Jobs and Jimmy Iovine, who recently left Interscope records. While Rassler and Karsh’s group didn’t have as much as star power attributed to their offer, they did boast NBA experience with the inclusion of retired player and current analyst Grant Hill.

The amount given to purchasing the flourishing Los Angeles franchise is the most ever paid for a team, topping the $550 million that was handed over for the purchase of the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this year.

The sale of the Western Conference titan comes after the scandal involving soon to be former owner Donald Sterling‘s racist comments spoken to and leaked by his girlfriend, V. Stiviano. After the audio reached the public, the NBA served Sterling with a lifetime ban and pressure to sell the franchise. The 2013-14 season came to an emotional end after a 4-2 series fall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals of the NBA playoffs.