Scott Sterling, the son of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in his Malibu home, authorities said on Wednesday. He was 32.

Scott Sterling's body was found shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday by sheriff's deputies dispatched to check on him. It wasn't clear who reported the incident; however, his family said they had not heard from him in several days, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that was sent to the Associated Press.

"Sheriff's homicide and Los Angeles County coroner's personnel at this time believe that Sterling died of an apparent drug overdose," the statement said, according to the AP. Los Angeles County coroner’s Lt. Larry Dietz said the death appeared to be accidental.

Scott Sterling was pronounced dead at the scene. His father, Donald Sterling, has not responded to media requests for comment.

Scott Sterling was arrested in 1999, but not charged for shooting his childhood friend at the family's then-Beverly Hills home, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Philip Scheid, then 19, was shot in the back of the legs as he tried to flee from Sterling, an article published by the newspaper shortly after the incident said.

Sterling claimed he acted in self-defense and that Scheid brandished a knife at him; Scheid counterclaimed that Sterling also had a knife. Authorities said at the time that they did not believe Scheid was credible, and the district attorney’s office declined to file charges against Sterling.

"No rational person would entertain the possibility of his story being true,” Beverly Hills Det Sgt. Jack Douglas said in a memo to prosecutors, the L.A. Times article noted.

Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, is a multimillionaire and a philanthropist.

Donald Sterling had once been viewed as one of the National Basketball Association’s worst owners, with critics contending Sterling cared more about the bottom line than his team’s performance. That perception changed last year when the Clippers traded for superstar point guard Chris Paul.

Paul, along with former No. 1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin, have the Clippers among the hottest teams in the NBA this season.

The Clippers, who share the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Lakers, are the better team in L.A. for the first time in recent memory. The Clippers, who just had their 17-game winning streak broken, are second in the Western Conference with a 25-7 record.

Basketball