Shelly Sterling wants to maintain ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, even though the NBA is seeking to oust her husband from the team he has owned since 1981.
The Clippers co-owner told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday she believed she had a legal right to run the basketball team and the sanctions levelled against her husband, Donald Sterling, didn't apply to her.
The Times said the Clippers were held in a family trust, which Shelly Sterling shared 50-50 with her husband.
In the event one dies, the surviving spouse gets the other share.
Donald Sterling, 80, has owned the team for 33 years and seen its value skyrocket from the $US12.5 million ($A13.5 million) he paid for it.
Some experts say the team might be worth up to $US1 billion.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling, the longest-tenured NBA team owner, for life after racist remarks he made in a private conversation with a girlfriend were made public.
The comments, first released by celebrity website TMZ, included Sterling saying he didn't want his girlfriend bringing black people to Clippers games or posting photographs of herself on social media with black people.
A firestorm of outrage followed, leading the Clippers players to wear their uniforms inside out in a pre-game warm-up before Silver banned Donald Sterling and fined the real estate mogul $US2.5 million, the maximum allowed under league rules.
NBA owners also started the process of setting up a vote to strip the team from Sterling, a move that could push him to sell the Clippers.
Donald Sterling has yet to comment on the leaked tapes but some expect him to try to take the NBA to court.
The Times said Shelly Sterling's continued presence in the organisation could prove problematic for the league because, like her husband, she has been accused of making racists comments in earlier lawsuits connected to the family's real estate business.
One former Sterling property manager accused Shelly Sterling in a deposition about a decade ago of instructing her not to rent to people who belonged to specific racial groups.
Meanwhile, NBA officials met to discuss the league's bid to strip Donald Sterling of his team on Wednesday, but have not settled on a timeline for action.
Another meeting would take place next week.
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