Steve Ballmer -- Praised By Shelly Sterling ... Right In Front Of Donald

Well ... this is awkward.

Shelly Sterling just praised the new owner of the L.A. Clippers ... while standing right next to the disgraced old one -- and TMZ Sports has the footage.

It all went down in Beverly Hills ... where Shelly and Donald Sterling were hanging out together ... despite the fact they ripped each other apart in court earlier this year.

Oh, and remember when Donald claimed Shelly basically stole the team from him?? Yeah.

Anyway, she didn't let the presence of her racist old husband keep her from giving props to Steve Ballmer -- who she says is doing a great job running her old team.