At approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer closed the deal that made him the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Thirty minutes earlier, his attorney Adam Streisand had been standing in the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse. A court clerk saw him and handed him the order from Judge Michael Levanas — one that finalized a tentative decision two weeks ago that cleared the way for a record $2 billion sale.