KET
Years ago

Clippers owner Donald Sterling Banned for Life

So... We should discuss this.

Adam Silver got some major brownie points early on in his Commish chair handing down a life time ban and a $2.5mil fine on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling over racist comments recorded.

NEW YORK -- 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.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling also was fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments. "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners I need to remove him," Silver said.


It's about time Sterling was cleaned out of the league to be honest.

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Mystro  
Years ago

Silver did not muck around. Great move from the league but watch this space for Sterling's lawyers rebuttal.
He may try to keep ownership of the franchise to rub salt into the wound and surely any sale will be on his terms.

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Jack Toft  
Years ago

Apart from justice being done it must seen to be done. While the outcome may be appropriate, if due process was not followed it could end in tears.

Reply #472214 | Report this post


MACDUB  
Years ago

Great move. Deserves a lot of respect. Firstly, for handling it so professionally and secondly for getting onto it so quickly and not allowing it to drag out.

Silver knows what he is doing. I wouldn't worry about Sterling's lawyers.

Silver himself is a lawyer and a very experienced and professional one at that.

He needs a 3/4th majority by the owners to force Sterling to sell the franchise.

In other words, a special resolution. I don't think that would be a problem and could see it being unanimously approved.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Great move. The guy has always been a clown, and he's finally done something that gives them the reason to get rid of him. Silver laying down the law in his early days.

I wouldn't worry about the NBA's lawyers either. They wouldn't have done this without being certain they were on firm ground. The other owners can make him sell the team with a 3/4 vote (as mentioned), which I think will happen. The NBA would lose all credibility letting this guy hang around any longer.

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Mystro  
Years ago

The Clips franchise is worth what 550mill? If I owned something like that, I aint gonna let someone take it off me or force me to sell it without putting up a decent fight.
Kudos to Adam Silver for his timely reaction tho and imo it is the right move.

Reply #472225 | Report this post


alexkrad  
Years ago

If he remains owner Doc Rivers has already said he wont be returning, expect the same from the majority of the players.

Reply #472230 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

He will sell to his wife and still go to he games !!!!

Reply #472233 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Yes expect him to put up a fight. Also expect him to lose. The other owners can force him out under NBA rules.

Reply #472235 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Would be a brave owner who didn't vote with the majority on this!

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Anonymous  
Years ago

There is a board room scene in the movie Semi-Pro which reminds me of how it could play out.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Haha!

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Mick  
Years ago

Great move. Well overdue. Should have happened years ago Wonder how litigious this will get...

Reply #472259 | Report this post


Tiger Watcher  
Years ago

I note Dalls owner (Mark Cuban) has expressed some concerns over the "mob" voting on the outsting of an asset owner, even if they disagree with his statements.

Pretty sure it is more to do with the USA open market and freedom of capital laws which unlike Australia are alot less regulated than Australia and i'm sure unless he gets to get the price he wants he'll have his lawyers ensure the process falls in his favour and no cut price deals will be done.

That said it will spark a massive bidding war and i expcept he'll get north of $1Billion due to the players/coaches currently under contract and the market size etc!

If he doesn't get this he will be within his rights to take legal action against the NBA/other owners for forcing him to sell an asset!

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jonno  
Years ago

can the league force his hand by not scheduling any Clippers games next season if he is the owner? which would make the Clippers essentially non existent/worthless. Forcing him to sell at a reasonable rate, in a reasonable time frame.

They could then buy out the coaches/players contracts and have a bidding process of the other teams to take on the contracts. Ie. bidding for Chris Pauls contract starts at $1mil, and the highest winner gets him, but he has to fit in to their salary cap, etc. They should also provide some compensation for office staff, etc who would likely have to find a new job, through no fault of there own.

No idea of legality's, but could this be done? the NBA has plenty of teams, so removing one wouldnt be the end of the world.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Milwaukee just sold for 550 million, and it's a rubbish team in a rubbish market. The Clippers will crack the billion, even in a forced sale. All it takes is multiple interested parties, and there are no shortage of those.

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paul  
Years ago

I doubt it Jonno, I think there would be specific agreements in place outlining those things.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Well I hope the line in the sand has been made and then no discrimination from anybody is allowed.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Anon I think you'd find this is a culmination of Sterling being a jerk and embarrassment to the league for a long time, and everybody has had enough.

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Mick  
Years ago

Exactly Anon.

This isn't a case of a person making a dumb remark off the cuff that is out of character, like Eddie Maguire's idiotic Adam Goodes / King Kong brainfart (still have no idea what the hell he was thinking).

This is a man with a decades-long agenda of racial abuse, sexual harassment, dodgy financial dealings, and on top of that: he has been in charge of the worst franchise in American sports during that period.

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anon  
Years ago

he made the comment in private not public so l hope he sues the pants of everyone involved with this witch hunt, hope the jewish party helps Silver when he gets his court cost bill, at the end of the day it was a private comment and l will bet London to a brick everyone has made a racist comment in private white or black

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ricey  
Years ago

Adam is going to get bent over by Sterlings lawyers and royally raped. Should have waited on the comment about voting him out

Reply #472336 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

If Donald Sterling's lawyers rape Adam Silver I don't think that will help Donald's case.

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Wilson Sting  
Years ago

I wouldn't be too upset if I was forced to sell a billion dollar asset I bought for 12mil. Apart from the CGT!

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KET  
Years ago

Listening to the conversation, i'd say it's rather clear Sterling is being set up (although the fact the conversation was being recorded by her probably gives that away). It doesn't justify racist comments though.

I struggled to understand the argument going on (as is the case of most arguments people have, they're never consistent in what they're trying to argue). All I can gather is that he doesn't want his "girlfriend" to be seen with black people in public, but that somehow he doesn't have an issue with black people in general otherwise. It's contradictory. But then he indicates that she should respect him not liking black culture. It essentially sounds like he is a selective racist.

Anyway, good to see such swift and justified action by Adam Silver. The quicker we can clean out the racists and homophobes, the better the sport of basketball and the NBA will be.

Apart from justice being done it must seen to be done.

Couldn't agree more with Lord Chief Justice Hewart's words in Ex Parte McCarthy
...is of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.

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KET  
Years ago


Apart from justice being done it must seen to be done.

Couldn't agree more with Lord Chief Justice Hewart's words in Ex Parte McCarthy
...is of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.

**there we go**

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Mick  
Years ago

It should be mentioned that Sterling WAS AWARE he was being recorded and still said that stuff.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

wonder what the NBA does with this guy, he wants to ban all whites from playing
http://rt.com/usa/155744-johnson-sterling-all-black-league/

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Anonymous  
Years ago

I wonder what he says in private phone calls ?

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Speed44  
Years ago

I have no problem with a "witch hunt" when the target of said "witch hunt" is an actual witch.

Reply #472509 | Report this post


Ulliminat EYE  
Years ago

Stirling is upset with her because his Illuminati buddies give him stick about her - Yes he's racist - all races are subliminally its in our DNA.

Joke is he is a news story that probably covers up something a lot more sinister.

Reply #472511 | Report this post


Clive  
Years ago

Luckily for Donald Sterling a life ban shouldn't be too long at age 80 :)

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Wookiee  
Years ago

Especially if he keeps getting those young girlfriends too... Either they or the wife will end up finishing him off ;)

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Jack Toft  
Years ago

The latest is Oprah is talking about putting a bid in.

OMG. OMG, OMG, imagine the freebies under the chairs!

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anon  
Years ago

last l heard was that the KKK was going to buy the clippers would that be a racist team owner then, get of this guys back he made comments in private racist yes wrong yes does he deserve to be fined ? what rule has he broken again comments were in private, if speaking in private was illegal we would all be in jail. and the idea that OPRAH WAS GOING TO BUY THE TEAM WOW NOW THATS ONE BOOKS

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