On Tuesday afternoon, NBA commissioner Adam Silver handed Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, a lifetime ban from the NBA. Sterling was fined $2.5 million, the maximum fine allowed, and Silver made clear that he will try to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, stating that owners can, with a three-fourths vote, make Sterling sell his team. I would be shocked if the NBA owners did not vote unanimously to force Sterling to sell, and they should. There is no room for racism in our society, and Silver and the NBA clearly understand that. Bravo, Silver. Bravo.
To provide some background, Sterling is the current owner of the Clippers, and his now ex-girlfriend released audio recordings of Sterling saying things like, “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” and “You can sleep with them,” but “[do] not bring them to my games.” He then told her that she needed to take down her pictures with other black people from her Instagram. The recordings have been confirmed as his voice.
In 2009, Sterling paid the U.S. Justice Department $2.73 million to settle allegations that, when renting apartments in the greater L.A. area, his companies discriminated against blacks, Hispanics and families with children. In 2011, Sterling remarked that one of his properties, the Ardmore, smelled “because of all the blacks in this building. They smell. They’re not clean.” He then added a derogatory remark about individuals of Mexican descent. These are just some examples of many. Quite a sterling reputation, I know.
As an avid basketball fan, a citizen of the U.S. and, most importantly, a human being, I applaud Silver’s bold ruling. Like Silver, I too find Sterling’s comments offensive, hateful and absolutely unnecessary. The NBA does not have room for people like Sterling. I don’t care if Sterling’s net worth is $1.9 billion, and clearly neither does Silver. He handled it perfectly. Lifetime ban. Maximum fine. Forced sale of the team.
In his ruling Tuesday, Silver made a statement, that the NBA will not tolerate racism or hateful speech of any kind. Silver acted quickly, knowledgeably and intelligently, and he made a tough yet honorable and fair decision. The NBA — a league in which the majority of players are African-American — will be much better off without him, and the owners can most strongly influence the league’s future direction. Now the Clippers’ players and all players around the league can play the game and have peace of mind. While this decision does not prevent potential future incidences of racism, it does show the players for certain that they do not play in a league that looks the other way regarding racism and hateful speech.
Unfortunately, Sterling will still receive hundred of millions, if not billions, of dollars in exchange for the Clippers. Adrian Wojnarowski, a NBA reporter for Yahoo Sports, said on twitter that he expects a bidding war expected to exceed $1 billion. For some reason I don’t think Sterling will care too much about his ban as he sails the world on a brand-new yacht or sits poolside at his hundred-million dollar mansion. Who knows, maybe he will even upload an Instagram or two?
Overall, Silver handled the situation with great poise. I don’t know if Sterling has learned or will learn his lesson, but at least the NBA has shown that it will not condone actions like Sterling’s, setting a good example and precedent not only for the league, but for people everywhere, both young and old, who follow the NBA.
