NBA bans Clippers owner Sterling for life!

 

(CNN) — Basketball Commissioner Adam Silver slapped Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling with a lifetime ban from the sport and a $2.5 million fine Tuesday over racist remarks attributed to Sterling.

Silver said the National Basketball Association “will begin immediately” to force Sterling to sell the team, which he has owned since the 1980s. Sterling admitted it was his voice on the recording, but expressed no remorse for the remarks, Silver said. (…because he is racist…)

“Sentiments of this kind are contrary to the principles of inclusion and respect that form the foundation of our diverse, multicultural and multi-ethnic league,” Silver said. Regardless of whether Sterling’s views were expressed in private, “They are now public and they reflect his views.”

The fine is the maximum that can be imposed under NBA rules. Under the ban, Sterling can’t go to games, attend practices, make decisions regarding the team or attend NBA meetings, and Silver said NBA owners are expected to provide the three-quarters vote needed to force Sterling to sell the team.

Before Tuesday’s announcement, the head of the league’s players association had called for Silver to hit Sterling with the most severe penalties. On Saturday, the website TMZ posted a 10-minute recording of a conversation, reportedly between Sterling and his girlfriend, whose legal name is V. Stiviano. According to the website, the conversation occurred on April 9.

On the recording, the man and woman argue about photos posted to Instagram in which she appears with African-Americans. The man says he doesn’t want the woman bringing any black people to games with her.

Here the audio for yourself…

In case you are struggling to see the true racism throughout that whole entire audio, let me make up your mind for you:

 

Here are a few quotes of what caused this whole debacle, while he was speaking with his girlfriend, who happens to be half Mexican and half Black:

In case you are struggling to see the true racism throughout that whole entire audio, let me make up your mind for you:

Monday brought a slew of sponsors distancing themselves from the team and a host of other owners and team officials condemning the comments attributed to Sterling, who has never been disciplined by the league. Several companies have pulled their sponsorship from the team already…

Adidas confirmed to CNN Tuesday that it was suspending its current marketing partnership with the Clippers. That means the company will not have in-arena promotions, signage, LED boards and so forth, but Adidas will remain the official outfitter. The Adidas logo doesn’t appear on the team’s warm-ups, shooting shirts and gear, Adidas spokeswoman Laura Lamkin said in an e-mail.

It is unclear whether Silver could order Sterling to sell the Clippers, a team he bought for $12 million in 1981 and is now worth $575 million, according to Forbes magazine. A lifetime suspension and fine of at least $1 million is more likely, experts say. Here is the photo that started all of this mess:

The stupid part is, 12 out of 14 of the players on his winning-playoff team is “Black” / African American.. you don’t like them, but you have no problem making money off of them.. Does this sound like slavery or nah?

I’m sorry Mr. Sterling but don’t you own the Clippers? Isn’t your girlfriend half-”black”? Isn’t a large proportion of your NBA team ‘black’, your head coach is ‘black’? If it weren’t for their talent, looks and brawns you wouldn’t even have a basketball team… and HELLO, YOUR PRESIDENT IS AFRICAN-AMERICAN.

On Sunday, the players turned their gear inside out to not display the Clippers symbol, and show their disgust for the actions of the owner.

Charlotte Bobcats owner and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan made a rare public statement on a controversial subject.

“As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views,” he said. “As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA — or anywhere else — for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed.” People everywhere began to voice their disgust.

 Even Matt Kemp was dragged into this fiasco because he took a picture with V after a game. He has since decided that he will not take anymore photos with “fans.” SMH   Matt, she is not a fan, but a groupie. So change that, no more pics with groupies and/or sidechicks…

Sterling is heard telling Stiviano — who identifies as black and Mexican — to stop sharing pics of herself with black people such as Johnson and L.A. Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.

The team plays Game 5 on Tuesday and that will be at the Staples Center and that should be interesting, since Sterling is not going to be at the game. The Clippers pulled a silent protest with what they did in the game on Sunday and Stiviano is half black and half Mexican and now Sterling is under fire from many sides, including people in and outside the NBA. Stiviano was sued by Sterling’s wife over gifts that Sterling gave Stiviano, including cars as well as a duplex apartment.

Stiviano and Sterling reportedly met at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami according to the LA Times and now Stiviano is taking center in the story as things envelop around Sterling.

So… even though this man is 80 years old, has a “girlfriend,” he is STILL MARRIED! That’s a whole nother post. #icant

So, what happens to social media and the internet when scandals like this happen? It goes #ham

Internet Shows No Mercy on Clippers Owner Donald Sterling

This mess is beyond ignorant. That shows you how a lot of people are: closeted racists.

Many people spoke up about their anger with Sterling. They did not let him “slide.” Enough is enough, seriously. It’s 2014, and folks are still talking about racism..

It’s crazy how the NAACP was just about to award him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. SMH I bet he would have accepted it, and kept his mouth shut, knowing how he really felt about African Americans. That is so stupid.

This is not the first time that he has been accused of racism, though… Let us not forget:

NBA Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor has sued the team, alleging that owner Donald Sterling had a “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure,” the Los Angles Times reports. The suit claims Sterling often talked about “poor black kids” and at one point said he hoped the team would consist of “‘poor black boys from the South’ and a white head coach.”

Baylor is also suing Sterling and the NBA. The team, “not having seen the complaint,” would not comment on specifics, but a team lawyer expressed outrage nonetheless. “It’s hard to believe that he would now make these ridiculous claims after the organization stood by him for 22 years and only three playoff appearances,” he said. Sterling was nonchalant when informed about the suit. “Really?” he said. “Against who?”

So, what’s your take on this? Should the NBA go through with their decision to ban him, should he be fined, is it just freedom of speech (like some on Yahoo claim)?