- NEW: Lawyer doesn't deny report Sterling is suing NBA for $1 billion
- Sources say neurologists found Sterling to be mentally incapacitated
- Sterling's lawyer insists that his client is "far from incapacitated"
- His wife, Shelly, confirms a deal to sell Clippers to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
(CNN) -- The Los Angeles Clippers saga continues to churn with contested information that could affect the team's future and its ownership -- this time centered on co-owner Donald Sterling's mental state.
Two neurologists have deemed Donald Sterling to be mentally incapacitated, two sources with detailed knowledge of the situation told CNN on Friday.
Sterling's lawyer, Maxwell Blecher, firmly shot down this report, calling such a declaration a "vast overstatement." Blecher said the 80-year-old was diagnosed with a "modest mental impairment" or a "slowing down."
"(Sterling is) far from incapacitated," his lawyer said.
This could be significant if it affects Sterling's claim to control the Clippers and fight the NBA.
Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the NBA for life in April over racist comments Sterling made in a private, taped conversation. Silver also pushed to force Sterling to sell off his franchise.
In public comments and official documents, Sterling and his lawyer have challenged the NBA on various fronts.
And on Friday, Blecher says he would not deny an NBC News report that Sterling is suing the league for $1 billion in damages in the wake of the push to force him to sell.
It's not clear how the designation of Sterling being or not being mentally incapacitated might factor into this story going forward, including this lawsuit and the Clippers' possible sale.
According to one of the sources, there is a provision in the Sterling family trust that says if either Donald Sterling or his estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, become mentally incapacitated, then the other becomes the sole trustee.
That could smooth the way for $2 billion deal that Shelly Sterling negotiated with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for the team.
Asked about such a sale, Blecher said Donald Sterling "is looking at the whole situation and evaluating where to go from here."
"He doesn't want to fight with Shelly. That's the bottom line," Blecher said.
Earlier Friday, Shelly Sterling confirmed the agreement with Ballmer, a sale that would still have to be approved by three-quarters of the NBA's Board of Governors.
"We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premiere NBA franchise," she said in a statement. "I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success."
If the deal goes through, it would be the largest sum paid for an NBA franchise. Last month, the Milwaukee Bucks, a team with a losing record in a small television market, sold for $550 million.
Ballmer is worth $20 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
"I love basketball. And I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that the Clippers continue to win -- and win big -- in Los Angeles," Ballmer said Friday.
While Sterling's camp has threatened to sue the NBA, there's no question that -- if the sale goes through -- it would mean a huge windfall for him and his family.
The real estate investor bought the Clippers for about $12 million in 1981.
While he has faced legal trouble before -- including a wrongful termination lawsuit from the team's longtime general manager Elgin Baylor, which Sterling one -- his status as the Southern California franchise's controlling owner wasn't officially challenged until this spring.
That's when TMZ posted audio of a conversation between Sterling and his companion, V. Stiviano, in which he made racist comments that quickly got the attention of NBA fans, players and executives. Many felt that Sterling didn't help himself when he talked days later with CNN's Anderson Cooper, including his calling out of basketball legend Magic Johnson.
As some corporate sponsors dropped and amid threats that players might boycott, Silver stepped up quickly to ban Sterling and fine him $2.5 million.
Following through on the commissioner's vow, the NBA "initiated a charge" on May 19 seeking to terminate all of Sterling's ownership rights in the franchise.
That set the stage for a Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday, one in which Donald Sterling would be allowed to present his case.
It's not immediately clear how the recent developments -- including a possible sale of the Clippers to Ballmer and questions about Donald Sterling's mental state -- will affect this meeting, if it takes place at all.
How Ballmer's $2 billion Clippers deal could pay off
CNN's Poppy Harlow, Greg Botelho and Kevin Wang contributed to this report.
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