Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, center, and V. Stiviano, left, watch the Clippers play the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA preseason basketball game in Los Angeles on Monday, Dec. 19, 2010. NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement Saturday, April 26, 2014, that the league is in the process of authenticating the validity of the recording posted on TMZ’s website. Bass called the comments “disturbing and offensive.” (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
On Saturday, April 26, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling received one heck of an 80th birthday present from his girlfriend, Vanessa Stiviano.
Sterling and Stiviano engaged in an argument in regards to a photo she posted on her Instagram which showed Stiviano and global icon Magic Johnson.
Now, who would want to argue about getting a picture taken with Magic Johnson?
Apparently, Donald Sterling does.
TMZ Sports released an audio recording of this conversation in which Sterling tells Stiviano, “It bothers me that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people.”
Happy Birthday Donald.
What does that tell you?
Donald Sterling is not an NBA owner. He’s not deserving of being one of the 30 owners in one of the most profitable leagues in the world. Instead, he sounds like a hypocrite considering his team is constructed of only two white players.
Now, this is not the first time that Sterling has made racial comments towards his companions. Let’s take a look at some of his racial claims after he bought the franchise in 1981.
1983 – Paul Phipps, the Clippers’ general manager at the time, said Sterling used “the N-word” in an impromptu interview with prospective Clippers’ coaching candidate Rollie Massimino.
2001 – Sterling was sued by the city of Santa Monica after he threatened to evict eight tenants who were living under rent control.
2003 – The Housing Rights Center and a group of people that lived in Sterling’s properties filed a lawsuit against him for using discriminatory statements towards him. He would pay nearly $5 million in a settlement.
2004 – Hispanic woman Elisheba Sabi sued Sterling for refusing to accept her voucher to rent an apartment.
2009 – Former Clippers’ general manager Elgin Baylor filed a lawsuit against Sterling for more racial discrimination. He accused Sterling of having a “vision of a Southern plantation type structure” for the team, with “poor black kids from the South playing for a white coach.”
2011 – Former Clippers’ point guard Baron Davis said Sterling would heckle him by shouting mean comments during Clipper home games, where Sterling would sit on the floor.
And, here we are now.
At a press conference yesterday afternoon, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver dropped the hammer on Sterling after banning him for life from the NBA and fining him $2.5 million.
(Deep breath)
I just breathed a sigh of relief.
Enough is enough. This man has no place in the NBA after his long track record of inappropriate and racial commentary.
Yesterday was a monumental day in the history of the NBA.
Adam Silver made his biggest splash in just three months of being commissioner, as the league will seek a three-fourths vote from the NBA owners to remove Sterling as the owner of the Clippers.
Notice, I haven’t even mentioned how wonderful the NBA Playoffs have been with seven games already going to overtime.
The NBA and the Clippers can now heal and move on to the best first round of the playoffs in recent memory.
For more NBA Playoffs coverage, follow @browningstubbs on Twitter.
