NBA Thread

[GM Franchise]

Clipper Darrell I Still Love the Team... But Hate the Organization

7 minutes ago BY TMZ STAFF

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/clipper-darrell-donald-sterling-clippers-nba/

Clipper Darryl -- the unofficial mascot of the team -- says he's deeply saddened by Donald Sterling's comments ... saying he still loves the team, but hates the organization.

Darryl spoke with TMZ Sports moments ago ... saying, "To know that the man responsible for putting me on the team plane to attend a playoff game in 2006 didn't like Black people at his games is upsetting."

"Furthermore, to disrespect a legend like Magic Johnson who has dedicated his career to unite people, is a travesty."

Darryl also says he believes the audio explains why he received "unjust treatment" from the organization in the past.

"The question I have "what do you do when you love a team but dislike the organization?"

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/clipper-darrell-donald-sterling-clippers-nba/#ixzz3013VwKKb

[¿PapaPancho?]

Fuck Clipper Darrell

[GM Franchise]

Players react to Donald Sterling audio

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10843915/nba-players-twitter-react-donald-sterling-tmz-audio

---

Clippers briefly consider boycott

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10844878/los-angeles-clippers-meet-discuss-alleged-donald-sterling-comments-consider-boycott

SAN FRANCISCO -- Before the Los Angeles Clippers gathered at the University of San Francisco Saturday afternoon for their final practice before Sunday's playoff game against the Golden State Warriors, they gathered as a team at their downtown hotel for a meeting where they discussed the audio recording purportedly of Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist remarks to his girlfriend.

Coach Doc Rivers led the 45-minute meeting and several players, including Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, spoke and voiced their anger after hearing the nearly 10-minute audio tape, which was released by TMZ on Friday night. The possibility of boycotting Game 4 of their first-round series against the Warriors was raised but quickly dismissed.

"I thought we needed to talk about it because everyone else is and so we needed to talk about it and all things came up," Rivers said. "We've heard all the stuff, the boycotts and all the stuff and all those things are things you could do but we choose to play and we're going to play tomorrow. ... It was brought up because I'm sure 20,000 people have suggested it but honestly I'm completely against that and they were, too.

"Why should we let someone's comments stop us from what we're trying to do? We're trying to do something here and we don't want that getting in the way of what we're trying to do."

Rivers spoke on the matter on behalf of his players. Paul and Griffin addressed reporters but refused to answer questions about Sterling or the audio tape. Paul did release a statement on the situation through the NBPA.

In the recording, the man believed to be Sterling questions his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, about her association with minorities. TMZ reports that Stiviano, who is black and Mexican, posted a picture of her with Magic Johnson on Instagram, a photo that has since been removed. Throughout the recording, the man believed to be Sterling repeatedly asks Stiviano not to take pictures with minorities on her Instagram or invite them to Clippers games.

"I don't know if I'm surprised or not," Rivers said. "I didn't like the comments, obviously. We had a great team meeting this morning about it. A lot of guys voiced their opinions. None of them were happy about it. This is a situation where we're trying to go after something very important for us. Something that we've all dreamed about all our childhoods. Donald or anyone else had nothing to do with that dream and we're not going to let anything get in the way of those dreams."

Rivers left the Boston Celtics last June after the Clippers agreed to send Boston an unprotected first-round pick in 2015 as compensation for letting Rivers out of the final three years of his contract. Rivers signed a similar three-year, $21 million deal with the Clippers to become the head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations.

When asked how comfortable he was now working for a team owned by Sterling, Rivers said, "I don't know. It doesn't make me comfortable today, for sure. I have a job to do for the players. I have to get them to do their jobs and it's going to be a hard job and I get that. They're going to get hit all night. This is a distraction and my job is to try to lead them the best way that I know how.

"The best way I know is to get them together and unite them together to play well. It is a distraction, there's no question about that."

While the players did not address the matter publicly, Rivers said the team was united in their displeasure and anger about what they heard in the recording.

"They're young men," Rivers said. "It shouldn't be African American men. We have two white guys. It's about being human. We're not going to get into what race we are because we represent each other and this is our team and that's the way we're going to keep it. No one was happy about it. J.J. Redick was just as pissed as Chris Paul and that's the way it should be.

"Having said that, our goal is to win the NBA title and we're not going to let anything stand in the way of that. That's adversity that we didn't want but we have it and we have to deal with it and we'll deal with it internally but we're not going to share it with anybody else."

Rivers said he had not talked to Sterling and didn't plan on talking to him before Sunday's game.

"We have not and we have not tried honestly," Rivers said. "This is something that Donald and his family and everyone else has to figure that part out. We don't need a talk. We don't need that. ... Not right now. I want to deal with my team. This is a distraction and for me, I'm going focus on my guys. I came here for them and they came here because of each other. Our goals have not changed. It's like one of the players said today, 'When I was a little kid and I had a goal to win a world championship, it was to do that. It wasn't to win a world championship for someone.' That's our thoughts."

Rivers, like most of the team, was made aware of the audio tape late Friday night and heard it before Saturday morning's meeting.

"I heard it all," Rivers said. "I wasn't happy. I don't like racism. It's something I don't want to deal with but it is real life stuff that comes into play and this is one of them and we're going to deal with it as a group together and that's all we can do."

Rivers continually stressed the importance of his players focusing on the game at hand and not getting distracted but understood that would be easier said than done before Sunday's game.

"It upsets all of us," Rivers said. "There's not one guy that's happy with this situation. Do you think I want to be talking about this instead of trying to stop Steph Curry? I don't. I don't like all the phone calls I've been getting and all that stuff. We try to keep clutter away from our team and it's been brought to our team and it upsets me and it upsets our team. Having said that, we have something that we're playing for right now and we're going to deal with that and the other stuff, we'll deal with later."

The team discussed various possibilities and options available to them during the meeting but Rivers said their goal of winning a championship as a team was still their top priority and they would deal with off-the-court issues after the season.

"It's disturbing," Rivers said. "It's disturbing if you hear it from anyone. It doesn't matter if he works with us or for us. It's a disturbing comment but we have to be above it right now. There will be a time and a place for us to have a reaction but this is not the time or the place.

"We're trying to win a title and we're not going to allow something to get in the way. The league is going to handle this. The player's association will handle this as well. The biggest statement we can make as men, not as black men, but as men, is to stick together and show how strong we are as a group, not splinter, not walk. It's easy to protest. The protest will be in our play."

[GM Franchise]

Alleged Sterling talk being probed

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10843525/nba-investigating-offensive-audio-recording-allegedly-los-angeles-clippers-owner-donald-sterlin

An audio recording purportedly of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist remarks to his girlfriend is being investigated by the NBA.

In the recording, the man believed to be Sterling questions his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, about her association with minorities. TMZ reports that Stiviano, who is black and Mexican, posted a picture of her with Magic Johnson on Instagram, a photo that has since been removed.

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" the man believed to be Sterling says. He continues, "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

NBA spokesman Mike Bass issued the following statement: "We are in the process of conducting a full investigation into the audio recording obtained by TMZ. The remarks heard on the recording are disturbing and offensive, but at this time we have no further information."

The Clippers have opened their own investigation, team president Andy Roeser said in a statement.

"We have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered," he said. "We do know that the woman on the tape -- who we believe released it to TMZ -- is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even.'

"Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them.

"He is also upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him about Earvin Johnson. He has long considered Magic a friend and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him -- both in terms of who he is and what he has achieved. We are investigating this matter."

Johnson wrote in a series of tweets that he would not attend another Clippers game while Sterling owned the team.
 
In a later tweet he added:

Reverend Jesse Jackson also weighed in on Sterling's alleged comments.

"The first burden is upon the commissioner, Adam Silver, to act decisively because we don't want this to drag on throughout the playoffs," the noted civil rights activist said. "Donald Sterling should be banned immediately. The question is for how long. To do otherwise would subject his players to the indignity of working for a racist.

"And since Donald Sterling doesn't want blacks to go to his games, blacks should not go to his games. And whites who view blacks as equals should not go to his games. Why should the players even play for him when he has stated that their relatives -- their children, their parents, some of their wives -- are not welcome at their games?"

The Clippers held a 45-minute team meeting Saturday morning regarding the audio.

Sterling was set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in May.

The NAACP issued a statement about the remarks.

"If these allegations are proven true, we are extremely disappointed in Mr. Sterling," Alice Huffman, president of the NAACP California State Conference, said in the release. "Recent remarks like these, and those of Cliven Bundy, remind us that racism is not a footnote of our past, but a reality of our present that we must confront head on.

"... As the investigation is in progress, we urge the LA Branch of the NAACP to withdraw Donald Sterling from the honoree list at its upcoming Gala. We also suggest that African Americans and Latinos should honor his request and not attend the games."

Players around the league began reacting as news of the investigation spread.

"It's a damn shame but a sad reality that we have people in the world who continue to further such ignorance," Lakers star Kobe Bryant told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. "I would not want to play for him."

Warriors coach Mark Jackson, whose team is playing the Clippers in a first-round playoff series, said he was "disappointed in the comments made."

It's "unfortunate," he continued. "I believe there's no place in society for those feelings, and it's just sad."

When asked if he wished the owners would do something, Jackson said, "This is the real world. And I'll go out on a limb and say that the statements that were made, there's other people in this world that feel that way. So let's not be naive."

"
JAMES I've wavered back and forth if I would actually sit out, if our owner came out and said the things that he said. I would really have to sit down with my teammates, talk to my family, because at the end of the day, our family and our teammates are way more important than that. ... But there's no room for Donald Sterling in our league. There's no room for him.
" -- LeBron James on alleged Donald Sterling comments

Heat star LeBron James summed up his thoughts on the situation: "No room for Donald Sterling in our league."

"As commissioner of our league, you have to make a stand and you have to be very aggressive with it," James said. "I don't know what it's going to be, but you just can't have that in our league."

How difficult would it be to play in playoffs with this hanging over your head?

"I don't know. I've wavered back and forth if I would actually sit out, if our owner came out and said the things that he said," James answered. "I would really have to sit down with my teammates, talk to my family, because at the end of the day, our family and our teammates are way more important than that. And basketball is huge, obviously the playoffs have been unbelievable, and I hate the fact that something like this has to come when the playoffs have been unbelievable. And the game of basketball continues to grow.

"But there's no room for Donald Sterling in our league. There's no room for him."

Michael Jordan, the only NBA majority owner who is African American, had no comment at this time, his business manager said.

Former Clipper Baron Davis took to Twitter to express his thoughts about Sterling.

Last month, CBS reported that Rochelle Sterling, Sterling's wife, filed a lawsuit against Stiviano, alleging she had a sexual affair with her husband. The suit, which states Sterling and Stiviano began their relationship after meeting at the Super Bowl in 2010, asks for a return of all cash, land cars and other items that under California law are the community property of the Sterlings.

A spokeswoman for the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, Jacky Johnson, said the organization planned to a protest outside Tuesday night's NBA playoff game in Los Angeles.

Sterling, a real estate mogul, bought the Clippers in 1981. He's been the longest-tenured owner in the NBA since Lakers owner Jerry Buss died last year.

He has been frequently criticized for his frugal operation of the Clippers, although in recent years he has spent heavily to add stars such as Chris Paul and Doc Rivers, who led the team back to the playoffs in his first season as coach.

Paul, also the NBPA president, issued a statement.

"On behalf of the National Basketball Players Association, this is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively," it read. "We have asked Mayor Kevin Johnson to expand his responsibilities with the NBPA, to determine our response and our next steps. As players, we owe it to our teams and our fans to keep our focus on our game, the playoffs, and a drive to the Finals."

Johnson, for his part, called the comments "reprehensible and unacceptable."

Sterling has been involved in several lawsuits over the years, including ones with discrimination accusations.

In November 2009, Sterling agreed to pay $2.73 million to settle allegations by the government that he refused to rent apartments to Hispanics and blacks and to families with children. The Justice Department sued Sterling in August 2006 for allegations of housing discrimination in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles.

In March 2011, Sterling won a lawsuit against former Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor when a jury rejected the Hall of Famer's claim of age discrimination and harassment. Baylor, who was 76 at the time, had sought about $2 million after claiming he was forced out of the job he'd held for 22 years. The team said Baylor left on his own and a jury awarded him nothing.

"Myself and other people of color were subjected to this mentality for over 20 years," Baylor told ESPN. "I both witnessed and experienced it. What he said speaks for itself."

Sterling is a courtside fixture at home games. He rarely visits the team's locker room at Staples Center, although he made an appearance in December 2012 after the Clippers had won their 11th straight game, when he led an awkward locker room cheer.

Information from ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard, ESPN.com's Darren Rovell, Michael Wallace and Ethan Sherwood Strauss, ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[jagilki]

If this guy doesn't want "the Blacks" at his games, why doesn't he buy a Hockey team?

[GM Franchise]

Magic, MJ weigh in on Sterling

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10848070/michael-jordan-magic-johnson-lash-donald-sterling-purported-comments

Basketball legends Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan both voiced harsh criticism in response to racist comments purportedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

Johnson, speaking Sunday on ABC's playoff pregame show, said he wants NBA commissioner Adam Silver to "come down hard" on Sterling.

The comments that purportedly came from Sterling were made on an audio recording obtained and released by TMZ. In those remarks, the man believed to be Sterling referred to Johnson.

"He shouldn't own a team anymore," said Johnson, who also said Sterling was one of the first people he met after moving to Los Angeles, where he was a Lakers star for many years.

"I had a friendship with him. So for him to then make these comments, or alleged comments, about myself as well as other African-Americans and minorities, there's no place in our society for it. There's no place in our league, because we all get along. We all play with different races of people when you're in sports. That's what makes sports so beautiful."

The man making the comments also urged his girlfriend V. Stiviano not to bring black friends to Clippers games. The NBA and the Clippers are investigating, including whether the male voice on the recording is in fact Sterling's.

The website Deadspin released an extended 15-minute version of the purported conversation Sunday.

In that recording, the woman purported to be Stiviano asks, "Do you know that you have a whole team that's black that plays for you?"

The man, purported to be Sterling, responds: "You just, do I know? I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have -- Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?"

Stiviano's lawyer released a statement Sunday afternoon that stated the tapes carrying the purported voices of Stiviano and Sterling were "legitimate." The quotes came from approximately an hour's worth of recorded conversation, which Stiviano says she did not leak to the media.

Jordan, a five-time NBA MVP as a player and the current owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, released a statement Sunday saying he is outraged and disgusted by the comments.

Jordan said he has two different perspectives on the racist comments -- one as an owner and the other as a former player.

"As an owner, I'm obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views," Jordan said. "I'm confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly. 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. I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level."

Anger, frustration and calls for action echoed around the NBA on Saturday after the recording surfaced. Everybody except for Sterling, who has a decades-long history of discrimination and offensive behavior, seemed to have a response.

President Barack Obama, asked to respond at a news conference with Malaysia's prime minister during his visit to the country Sunday, called the reported remarks "incredibly offensive racist statements."

"I don't think I have to interpret those statements for you, they kind of speak for themselves," Obama said. "When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything. You just let them talk. And that's what happened here."

Obama also expressed confidence the NBA would address the situation, and said the United States still wrestles with "the legacy of race and slavery and segregation."

"Obviously, the NBA is a league that is beloved by fans all across the country," Obama said. "It's got an awful lot of African-American players. It's steeped in African-American culture. And, I suspect that the NBA is going to be deeply concerned in resolving this."

Miami Heat star LeBron James asked Silver to take aggressive measures, saying "there is no room for Donald Sterling in our league."

"Obviously, if the reports are true, it's unacceptable in our league," James said. "It doesn't matter, white, black or Hispanic -- all across the races it's unacceptable. As the commissioner of our league, they have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don't know what it will be, but we can't have that in our league."

Silver spoke Saturday night in Memphis, Tenn., before the Grizzlies' game against Oklahoma City, repeating that the league finds the audio tape "disturbing and offensive" and that Sterling agreed to not attend the Clippers' game Sunday at Golden State.

"All members of the NBA family should be afforded due process and a fair opportunity to present their side of any controversy, which is why I'm not yet prepared to discuss any potential sanctions against Donald Sterling," Silver said. "We will, however, move extraordinarily quickly in our investigation."

Silver said the NBA needs to confirm authenticity of the audio tape and interview both Sterling and the woman in the recording. The Clippers will be back in Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

"We do hope to have this wrapped up in the next few days," Silver said.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said players discussed boycotting Game 4 of their first-round playoff series during a 45-minute team meeting but quickly decided against it.

"I think the biggest statement we can make as men, not as black men, as men, is to stick together and show how strong we are as a group," Rivers said. "Not splinter. Not walk. It's easy to protest. The protest will be in our play."

Clippers president Andy Roeser said in a statement that the team did not know if the tape is legitimate or has been altered. He said the woman on the tape, identified by TMZ as V. Stiviano, "is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even."

Roeser also said the recording does not reflect Sterling's beliefs. He added that Sterling is "upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him" about Johnson, whom he called Sterling's friend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

---

Clippers stage silent protest

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10848577/los-angeles-clippers-stage-silent-protest-donald-sterling-hide-team-logo

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Los Angeles Clippers players staged a silent protest against owner Donald Sterling before Sunday's playoff game, while coach Doc Rivers said he isn't sure what he would have to hear from Sterling to make him want to return next season.

"Don't know yet," Rivers said when asked if there were things he needed to hear from Sterling after an audio tape surfaced of Sterling purportedly making racist remarks to his girlfriend V. Stiviano. "I'm just going to leave it at that."

The Clippers gathered at center court before a 118-97 Game 4 loss in their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors and took off their Clippers' warm-up shirts and left them there. They then warmed up wearing inside-out red shooting shirts that did not display the Clippers name or logo. During the game, players wore black arm or wrist bands and black socks.

During a 45-minute team meeting on Saturday, Clippers player voiced their anger about the tape and discussed various options of protest, including boycotting the game.

"[We] talked as a team about everything," Chris Paul told ESPN. "Tried to keep internal, everything we decided to do has been together as a team."

In the Clippers' locker room before the game, "We are one" was written on the dry-erase board, which was the message players and coaches talked about before taking the court.

"We're going to be one, everything we do, we do it together," Paul said. "Stay together, play ball, we worked hard to be where we are, can't imagine going through this with anyone leading us other than Doc."

Sterling was at Game 3 on Thursday night in Oakland, Calif., and was planning to be at Game 4 on Sunday before speaking with the league and agreeing not to attend as it investigated his comments. Sterling's wife, Rochelle, however, was at Sunday's game and sat courtside across from the Clippers' bench.

"I don't condone those statements and I don't believe in them," Rochelle Sterling told ESPN. "I'm not a racist. Never have been, never will be. The team is the most important thing to my family."

Stiviano's lawyer released a statement Sunday afternoon that stated the tapes carrying the purported voices of Stiviano and Sterling were "legitimate." The quotes came from approximately an hour's worth of recorded conversation that Stiviano says she did not leak to the media.

Rivers said before the game he had not spoken to Sterling and had no current plans to.

"I've not talked to Donald yet," Rivers said. "Really no need right now, at least for me."

Warriors coach Mark Jackson, who, like Rivers, played for the Clippers, said he could not coach or work for the Clippers knowing what he knows now about Sterling.

"I cannot right now," Jackson said. "Knowing the mentality, I cannot. With that being said, let me double back. There are people, successful people, who would answer that question and say no, that's working for folks today."

Rivers said he understood Magic Johnson and many fans saying they would not be attending Clippers' games as long as Sterling is the owner and would understand if the Clippers' 137-game sellout streak was snapped for Tuesday's Game 5 because of the backlash.

"I would understand," Rivers said. "I hope not. We need them. I can tell you that. We need everybody. We play for them. We always have. So we do need them. We're going to need them bad on Tuesday. We're going to need them there. We're going to need them in our corner. But, listen, I get all of it. Like I said to the gentlemen, someone wants to do it another way, I get that, too, and I have no problem with that either."

[T-Bonizzle]

ADAM SILVER PLEASE FORCE DONALD STERLING TO SELL THE TEAM ... DO IT ... CLIPPERS NATION WILL REJOICE!!

No, you can't force someone to make a business transaction because he's a racist. Having racist world views is not a crime.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

No, you can't force someone to make a business transaction because he's a racist. Having racist world views is not a crime.

You're right, but he's a detrament to the league's image in which case they have the rest of the owners and such to vote on it and boom, he's gone.

[Reya Serra]

No, you can't force someone to make a business transaction because he's a racist. Having racist world views is not a crime.

To make the transaction, no.  But the NBA can probably bar him from anything to do with the day to day operations of the Clippers, much like MLB did with Marge Schott and the Reds back in the 90s, until either he sells the team or they lift the ban.

[T-Bonizzle]

Well yes. The NBA can put sanctions on him to make his involvement with the Clippers minimal, but they can't outright force him to stop owning it.

[GM Franchise]

Magic Johnson is interested in buying the Clippers.

[GM Franchise]

Mark Jackson: Fans should boycott

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10853136/mark-jackson-golden-state-warriors-says-fans-boycott-game-5

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson had a clear message as to how fans should react to the racist comments allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling: Boycott Game 5 at the Staples Center.

"If it was me, I wouldn't come to the game," Jackson said Monday. "I believe as fans, the loudest statement they could make as far as fans is to not show up to the game."

Jackson was quick to point out that his advice doesn't apply just to Clippers supporters but to Warriors fans as well.

"As an African-American man that's a fan of the game of basketball and knows its history and knows what's right and what's wrong, I would not come to the game tomorrow, whether I was a Clipper fan or a Warrior fan," he said.

The comments allegedly made by Sterling were to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, on an audio recording obtained and released by TMZ. The man making the comments urged Stiviano not to bring black friends to Clippers games.

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" the man believed to be Sterling says. He continues, "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in. You can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

"Should the Clippers boycott? They're getting paid to play," Jackson said. "They've got families and bills. This is their job. This is their livelihood. They dreamt their whole life for it. Same thing with us.

"But it's different for me to pay to come see it."

Jackson said his team discussed how it should respond to Sterling's comments and elected to play out the series.

"We talked about it," Jackson said, "and the biggest statement would be playing and pouring our hearts out into something we dreamt about doing and doing it in a way where, no matter what color we are, we do this with class and dignity and integrity, and the evidence would clearly dictate that."

Asked about how the league should address the issue, Jackson deferred to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who will address the matter during a news conference Tuesday in New York.

"I've got total confidence in the commissioner," Jackson said. "It's an unfortunate position that he's in, but I've got total confidence in how he's going to handle it."

The coach made sure to convey that the issue is broader than just one team or its owner.

"The statements were not made toward, other than maybe a line or two, the Clippers," Jackson said. "The statements made toward all of us -- not just African-Americans -- I mean, all of us should be insulted."

---

Rivers: 'I believe he said those things'

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10853370/doc-rivers-los-angeles-clippers-spurns-owner-donald-sterling

LOS ANGELES -- Coach Doc Rivers says he turned down an opportunity to speak to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the wake of the racist remarks allegedly made by Sterling. Rivers also says he believes Sterling made the remarks and that he isn't sure about his future with the team if Sterling remains the owner.

"I was asked, do I need to talk to Donald, and I passed," Rivers said Monday during a nearly 30-minute conference call with reporters. "Quite honestly, I don't think now is the time or the place, for me at least, so I took a pass."

The comments allegedly made by Sterling were to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, on an audio recording obtained and released by TMZ. The man making the comments urged Stiviano not to bring black friends to "my games."

When Rivers was asked if he thought the voice on the recording was Sterling's, he said, "Yeah, I believe he said those things."

"I still want to make sure it hasn't been doctored, but 'yes' is the answer," he said. "As far as believing those things, I heard what he said. Until someone tells me differently, you usually listen to what people say. I haven't given him his due process. I haven't given him an opportunity to explain himself and quite honestly right now don't want him to, or don't want him to to me. I'll wait for that further judgment."

Rivers said he isn't sure he could continue being the team's coach and executive vice president of player personnel with Sterling as the owner.

"For me, I honestly don't even want to answer that question, because I don't know," Rivers said. "This just happened. ... I don't want to be part of this story. I don't have an answer one way or the other on that. We'll just wait and see."

Rivers canceled practice Monday, the day after the Clippers lost Game 4 of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors 118-97. He met not only with players but also several other members of the organization at the team's Playa Vista headquarters.

"These last 48 hours or more have been really hard for our players and for everyone," Rivers said. "I would just like to reiterate how disappointed I am in the comments attributed to our owner, and I can't tell you how upset I am and our players are. Today I had a meeting with people in our organization because I just felt they needed to hear a voice as well. When you're around all these people, you realize they are just as upset and embarrassed, and it doesn't reflect who they really are.

"That's the thing I got from all of them. They didn't sign on for this, but they're a part of this. They're upset at this, but they're going to hang in there, and so are we as a group and as a team. I have to do a better job with our guys and get them back. From our fans' standpoint, being here for the past 10 hours since we landed, they've been amazing. We need them. I can tell you that. We need unbelievable support right now from other people, and we're hoping we get that tomorrow."

Rivers said he slept for about 45 minutes before Sunday's Game 4 and canceled Monday's practice because players needed a day off to be with their friends and families, although most of the players came to the facility anyway.

"I felt like they needed to breathe," Rivers said. "They've been inundated with this. They've really had no time with their families. I just think they need time. In most cases we'd be practicing and on the floor today. I'm at the facility, and 95 percent or almost all of the players are here anyway. I'll go down and say hi to them and talk to them and make sure they're in the right place.

"Right now it's more than just basketball. This is a non-basketball decision that I thought I had to make, and I thought it was the right decision. If you get your life better, then you can probably do your work better, and I think they needed to do that."

This isn't the first time Sterling has been involved in racial controversy. In November 2009, he agreed to pay $2.725 million to settle allegations that he discriminated against African-Americans, Hispanics and families with children at several apartment buildings he owns in and around Los Angeles.

Rivers said he wasn't sure why the league didn't punish Sterling then but is confident it will now.

"Clearly there are things that have happened, but I don't know what they could have done in the past, but I know now there seems to be proof that they can do something," Rivers said. "I'm not worried about the past. I'm worried about now and how we can handle this, and I think this is going to be handled the right way.

"I really have a lot of faith in Adam [Silver] and the league, and I think it needs to be handled in the right way. I don't even know what the right way is. I have a hunch, but I don't know."

The league has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday around the same time the Clippers are scheduled to conduct their game-day shootaround.

"This is a very important decision and I hope it's a very strong message, and I believe that it will be," Rivers said. "I'm going to let the league do what it needs to do and then after that the players and myself will have a reaction."

Several players, including Chris Paul, said they weren't sure what fan reaction would be like at Staples Center for Game 5. Rivers was no different, saying he would understand if some did not want to come but that he hoped fans would support the team as they have done all season.

"I wish I could help people more in this in trying to decide what the right thing is, I really do, but I was just sitting here last night thinking, I don't [have] the answer, and I'm just being honest with you," Rivers said. "What I hope is whatever the fans do, it's as one group. Do it. Be one. I don't even know if that's the right thing, but I think it is.

"The fans are in a dilemma as well. We want them to cheer for their players and their team because it's still their team. From what I got from the fans that I talked to, that's how they feel: 'This is my team and these are my players that I'm cheering for, and that's not going to change,' and I hope that continues."

Rivers said the team is considering having one or more players address the crowd before the game.

"I don't know which way we'll go with that," he said. "We don't know the right answer. We want to do right here. We want to make the right decisions here and we're doing our very best to try to do that, and if we feel like that is something that will help our fans, then it will be done. If we feel it's something they don't need, we won't do it."

Rivers was careful not to blame Sunday's loss on the controversy but said "it had an impact, there's no doubt."

"We all have the feeling of, 'What do you do?' and 'What's the right thing to do?'" Rivers said. "Even to the point of should you play or not, all those things have been talked about by all of us, and those thoughts come across. It's tough to compete in a playoff series when you have any of those thoughts.

"I sympathize with my players. They didn't sign up for this yet here they are. They are in the middle of it, and they have to deal with it. What bothers me the most is they're getting attacked in some ways and they didn't do anything wrong."

---

Sponsors end Clippers sponsorship

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10851689/sponsors-ponder-deals-los-angeles-clippers-donald-sterling-purported-racist-comments

The Chumash Casino, the presenting sponsor of the Los Angeles Clippers, jumped ship Monday along with used car dealership chain CarMax and airline Virgin America as advertisers pondered their partnerships with the team in the wake of racist remarks allegedly made by owner Donald Sterling.

"We've always been proud supporters of the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the recent statements attributed to the Clippers' owner have forced us to reconsider our relationship," Vincent Armenta, tribal chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, said in a statement. "We remain supportive of the members of the team and we wish them the very best going forward.

"... We cannot ignore any statement that causes harm or hurts any group. As a result, we're withdrawing our sponsorship of the Clippers organization."

The casino, which has been the Clippers' most visible sponsor for the past four seasons, followed the lead of other companies that decided to part ways with the team earlier Monday.

"CarMax finds the statements attributed to the Clippers' owner completely unacceptable," the company said in a statement through public relations manager Catherine Gryp on Monday. "These views directly conflict with CarMax's culture of respect for all individuals. While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for nine years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship."

Virgin America said in a statement that it was cutting ties with the team "while we continue to support the fans and the players."

State Farm, Kia Motors America, Red Bull, Lumber Liquidators and Sprint have condemned the remarks and said they will suspend their sponsorship and advertising obligations, closely monitor the situation and assess their options.

Staples Center, the building that is home to the Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers, also issued a statement Monday afternoon.

"We are deeply troubled by these disturbing remarks which go against everything we believe in as an organization. We support the players, the coaches, the rest of the team and their fans and we are committed to providing a safe, secure and welcoming environment for everyone at tomorrow night's NBA playoff game."

The comments allegedly made by Sterling were to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, on an audio recording obtained and released by TMZ. The man making the comments urged Stiviano not to bring black friends to Clippers games.

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" the man believed to be Sterling says. He continues, "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in. You can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

The NBA and the Clippers are investigating whether the male voice on the recording is Sterling's, and the league will hold a news conference Tuesday in New York to announce "additional details" regarding the matter.


Deadspin released an extended 15-minute version of the conversation Sunday.

In that recording, the woman assumed to be Stiviano asks, "Do you know that you have a whole team that's black that plays for you?"

The man responds, "You just, do I know? I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have -- who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners that created the league?"

Stiviano's lawyer released a statement Sunday afternoon that stated the tapes were legitimate. The quotes came from approximately an hour's worth of recorded conversation, which Stiviano says she did not leak to the media.

Sterling was at Game 3 of the Clippers-Warriors series Thursday night in Oakland, Calif., and was planning to be at Game 4 on Sunday before speaking with the league and agreeing not to attend games as it investigates the comments. Sterling's wife, Rochelle, however, was at Sunday's game and sat courtside across from the Clippers' bench.

"I don't condone those statements, and I don't believe in them," Rochelle Sterling told ESPN. "I'm not a racist. Never have been, never will be. The team is the most important thing to my family."

She expounded on those comments Monday morning, releasing a statement that read: "Our family is devastated by the racist comments made by my estranged husband. My children and I do not share these despicable views or prejudices. We will not let one man's small-mindedness poison the spirit of the fans and accomplishments of the team in the city we love. We are doing everything in our power to stand by and support our Clippers team."

Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP, confirmed that Sterling would no longer be presented with a second lifetime achievement award and that any donations made to the organization by Sterling would be returned. He did not say how much money was involved.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Los Angeles. R&B singer Tank, who was scheduled to sing the national anthem, will not participate as a form of protest, TMZ reported Monday.

Darren Rovell of ESPN.com and Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com contributed to this report.

[¿PapaPancho?]

DONALD STERLING BANNED FOR LIFE. 

DONALD STERLING FINED 2.5 MILLION DOLLARS.

ADAM SILVER WILL PUSH TO FORCE DONALD STERLING TO SELL CLIPPERS.

HALLELUJAH; HOLLA BACK

[Jon]

Not sure a lifetime ban was the most appropriate course of action that the league should have taken.

I mean the guy is garbage, no doubt about that... but he was recorded without his knowledge during a personal conversation he was having.

I think he should just sell the team and just move on...

But obviously Silver is trying to go big with this as it being his first major issue to deal with as commisioner.

I just hope he's prepared to go to court for the next x amount of years with Sterling.

[¿PapaPancho?]

Not sure a lifetime ban was the most appropriate course of action that the league should have taken.

I mean the guy is garbage, no doubt about that... but he was recorded without his knowledge during a personal conversation he was having.

I think he should just sell the team and just move on...

But obviously Silver is trying to go big with this as it being his first major issue to deal with as commisioner.

I just hope he's prepared to go to court for the next x amount of years with Sterling.

If you acknowledge that he will fight tooth and nail to keep the team then you have to in the same breath prevent him from running the operation while he fights in the court room.