Clippers owner Donald Sterling banned for life by NBA, fined $2.5 million
By Jack Crosby
Tuesday afternoon, NBA commissioner Adam Silver took to the podium for a press conference in New York City to address the situation involving Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and the racist remarks that he allegedly made in a recorded tape leaked to TMZ over the weekend.
After an investigation by the league the past few days, Silver and league officials have decided to ban Sterling for life from the NBA and fine him $2.5 million. Silver went on to mention that he will make the efforts necessary to sell the team in a timely manner to a reputable owner.
In the tape, Sterling made the racist remarks in regards to African Americans to his girlfriend as he expressed his displeasure over her social media activity with them. In particular, he called out Magic Johnson by telling her that he did not want see Johnson at any of his games.
This obviously isn’t the end of this saga. As of right now, there is word that Sterling is very reluctant to sell the team and, as we all expected, he may put up some sort of fight.
However, unfortunately for him, history is not on his side. This recorded tape was not the first time Sterling has been caught up in a web of racism that he brought upon himself. Not only was there the highly publicized battle between he and former general manager Elgin Baylor, but there was also the suit brought against him involving tenants of his apartments that he owns and his unwillingness to take care of their needs in the hopes that they would leave.
Undoubtedly, what we saw today from NBA commissioner Adam Silver was an unprecedented event that set a standard in which no one with the beliefs and thoughts of Sterling will be tolerated by the league going forward.