Call him Air Ballmer.
The Los Angeles Clippers unveiled a new mascot during halftime of their 105-95 win over Brooklyn on Monday night, but it was former Microsoft CEO and team owner Steve Ballmer who stole the show after he slammed home a two-handed dunk with the assistance of a trampoline.
Steve Ballmer is worth $22 billion and dunked off a trampoline. pic.twitter.com/xEKH2xINHp
— Andrew Han (@andrewthehan) March 1, 2016
Never one to lack energy, Ballmer’s celebration was almost as good as the dunk itself, with the former tech executive letting out a big scream and pumping his fists before embracing the new mascot. The crowd was revved up, too, because they won free Converse shoes if Ballmer completed his dunk successfully.
Ballmer, who bought the Clippers for $2 billion in 2013, was a regular participant during early morning pickup basketball games at the local sports club near Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, with the New York Times describing his good shooting and rebounding abilities.
When we interviewed former NBA player and current TNT basketball analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith at CES last month, he said Ballmer was “great for the game,” particularly with his “unmatched and unparalleled” enthusiasm. Not sure tonight’s dunk eclipses Ballmer’s crazy dance moves he displayed last season, but it’s close.
Aside from helping run the Clippers, Ballmer — who is still Microsoft’s largest shareholder — has been quietly working on a project that he describes as a “10-K for government,” a reference to the annual filing that public companies make with the Securities & Exchange Commission, chock-full of data for investors to evaluate the performance of businesses.
Since Satya Nadella took over for Ballmer as CEO in February 2014, Microsoft’s stock is up more than 34 percent, closing today at $50.88.
With their win over the Nets, the Clippers are 39-20.
