I’ve been pretty heads-down lately, so I just found out yesterday about the whole Clippers/ Don Sterling debacle.
Welp, it seems this whole racism controversy was big enough to reach half way around the world to Malaysia, where President Obama is on a diplomatic mission to Asia Pacific nations.
At a press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Sunday, Obama was asked about Sterling’s alleged racist comments about African-Americans.
“When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t really have to do anything, you just let them talk. That’s what happened here,” the President said.
Obama also said Sterling’s alleged comments are an example of how “the United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation.”
“That’s still there, the vestiges of discrimination. We’ve made enormous strides, but you’re going to continue to see this percolate up every so often,” Obama said in Malaysia.
Tell us how you really feel Mr. President.
Ok, to level-set for everyone … so Don Sterling, who has owned the Clippers franchise for nearly three decades, is now under investigation by the NBA over alleged discriminatory remarks made during a 10 minute argument he had with his girlfriend V. Stiviano on April 9. TMZ posted a recording of the argument online Friday.
If authentic, and so far no one has come forward to say that’s not him, the remarks seem to reflect Sterling’s embarrassment with Stiviano over associating with African-Americans at Clippers games and for posting such pictures on her Instagram account.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league’s investigation will seek to determine whether the tape is authentic and to figure out the context in which these “offensive and disturbing” comments were made. (hmmm … is there a context that those comments would be okay?)
The man alleged to be Sterling in the recording takes particular exception to a photo the girlfriend posted to Instagram with icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
“In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with — walking with black people,” the man says.
“If it’s white people, it’s OK?” she responds. “If it was Larry Bird, would it make a difference?”
“I’ve known [Magic] well and he should be admired …. I’m just saying that it’s too bad you can’t admire him privately,” the man on the recording says. “Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don’t put [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.”
Magic responded Saturday afternoon via his Twitter account.
“I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans” read a tweet from @MagicJohnson. “I will never go to a Clippers game again as long as Donald Sterling is the owner,” read another.
In a side bar, Sterling was expected to receive a lifetime achievement award at an event next month to mark the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles NAACP.
Oops!
Of course other noteworthy people have been chiming in on the controversy. “I don’t know if I’m surprised or not,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said at the team’s practice Saturday, adding that he “obviously” didn’t like the comments.
Doc went on to tell reporters that he didn’t want the controversy to distract from the playoffs. To be expected because despite Sterling, his team has worked hard and really don’t deserve this black cloud over them.
LeBron James also weighed in.
“If the reports are true, it’s unacceptable. It’s unacceptable in our league. It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, Hispanic, whatever, all across the races. It’s unacceptable and as a commissioner in our league, they have to make a stand, and they have to be very aggressive with it.”
“Should this guy continue to be an owner?” asked Shaquille O’Neal, who also called the comments “repugnant.”
“We cannot have an NBA owner discriminating against the league,” said Charles Barkley. “We’re a black league.”
In the meantime, Sterling will be missing from his usual courtside seats. He’s agreed not to attend the Clippers palyoff game Sunday in Oakland against the Warriors.
This is a mess! So you want to make money off a predominately black league, but you don’t want to be seen with them. Said another way, they’re not good enough to break bread with. He clearly sees African-Americans as a minority race. Negative! He needs to be out.
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