Sterling hit with life ban from NBA
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling fined $2.5m and banned for life by Commissioner Adam Silver.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation.
Sterling has also been fined $2.5 million, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments, saying said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise.
This league is far bigger than any one owner, any one coach and any one player.
He said a league investigation found that the league’s longest-tenured owner was in fact the person on the audiotapes that were released over the weekend.
“We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views. They simply have no place in the NBA,” Silver said.
Sterling acknowledged he was the man on the tape, Silver said.
Sterling is immediately barred from attending any NBA games or practices, be present at any Clippers office or facility, or participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team.
He also cannot participate in any league business going forward.
“This league is far bigger than any one owner, any one coach and any one player,” Silver said.
The fine will be donated to organisations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts that will be jointly selected by the NBA and the Players Association, Silver said.
Sterling’s national condemnation
Sterling’s comments were released over the weekend with numerous NBA owners and players have condemning them, in addition to President Barack Obama.
Several sponsors either terminated or suspended their business dealings with the team, though individual deals that some of those companies have with Clippers stars like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will continue and were not affected.
The issues raised when the tapes were released over the weekend represent just another chapter in Sterling’s long history of being at the centre of controversy.
In the past, he’s faced extensive federal charges of civil rights violations and racial discrimination in his business dealings, and some of his race-related statements would be described as shocking.
The announcement of the sanctions came just hours before the Clippers will play Golden State in Game 5 of a knotted-up Western Conference first-round playoff series.