One of the most controversial incidents in the history of the NBA was the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014. Donald Sterling was the former owner of the franchise and he was forced to sell it after being revealed as a potential racist.
The incident caused a great uproar in the league and the community, with many people expressing their views on it. It led everyone to wonder what and how it exactly happened.
What racist comments did Donald Sterling make regarding Magic Johnson?
The former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, was forced to sell the franchise after he was revealed to be a racist. The popular gossip media outlet TMZ released an audio recording of a conversation between Sterling and his girlfriend, V.Stiviano. In the recording, Sterling could be heard warning Stiviano not to bring African-Americans to Clippers games and to refrain from promoting them on social media.
Sterling’s remarks were directed toward her confidante’s photos with the NBA legend and billionaire Magic Johnson. The statements of Donald Sterling caused an uproar, with several popular figures calling his remarks unacceptable. Chris Paul, who is also the president of the NBPA, was playing for the Clippers at that time. He started a protest with all his teammates, with their head coach, Doc Rivers, leading the charge.
Even Barack Obama shared his opinions on the matter and criticized Sterling. Adam Silver took appropriate action and suspended Donald indefinitely He fined him $2.5 million and also announced the sale of the franchise.
Who bought the LA Clippers from Donald Sterling?
Steve Baller rose as the prime candidate to purchase the Clippers when their sale was announced following the Donald Sterling incident. Baller brought the whole franchise a hefty amount of $2 billion. Sterling was against the sale of the franchise but was unable to do anything as the 80-year-old was announced to be mentally incapacitated by medical experts.
Donald’s wife, Shelly Sterling, was handed the right to sell the franchise and she did the same. Baller took over the franchise and reworked it from the base; he turned the team into a successful franchise that houses one of the best players in the league, Kawhi Leonard. Since then, the Clippers have seen a lot of changes and have transformed from a franchise owned by a racist owner to a franchise that was recently called the scariest team in the West.
What do you think of Donald Sterling’s remarks about Magic Johnson? Do you think it was a good decision to force the sale of the franchise? We are eager to know your opinions, so drop down in the comments and let us know.
