The NBA is a not for profit organization. Really? Yeah. It's a technicality that allows it, like the NFL, to not pay corporate income tax. They are somewhat like a private country club (members only social, golf and tennis club with a clubhouse, to you guys overseas).
The money they make on official logo merchandise and television broadcast rights and game ticket sales gets shared amongst the teams, the teams' owners, the coaching staffs, the stadium owners, etc. As a private non-profit entity, like a private club, too, they can have some serious rules of conduct that leave their members - who all signed massive, binding contracts with NBA - legally vulnerable to in-house fines and civil litigation should members balk at paying those fines or accepting those punishments and banishments. They cannot be divested of actual ownership of a team without a lot of procedures and must be monetarily compensated for a forced sale, regardless. Sterling needs to pick up his toys and go home. The other kids have kicked him outta the tree house club.