Why Donald Sterling was not a good owner for the Clippers

On Saturday, April 26^th, 2014, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was recorded by an audio tape using racial remarks toward African-Americans, mostly toward former Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. He basically said to his girlfriend V. Stiviano that he “does not mind her associating with black people as long as she does not bring them to Clippers games.”

It sounds like Donald Sterling didn’t just see himself as any owner, but a “slave owner.” He does not really care about black people. Not even the fact that 75% of the team is black, including star players like Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan. Blake Griffin is half-white and half-black, even though he looks white. It seems like he is fine with white shooting guard J.J. Redick on the team.

Well, now we do not have to worry because on Tuesday, April 29^th, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned 80-year-old Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million. Sterling had owned the Clippers since the 1979-80 season.

Sterling has had a history of controversy. In 1982, he was fined $10,000 by the NBA after he said he would accept the Clippers finishing in last place in order to draft an impact player like Ralph Sampson. In 1984, Sterling moved the Clippers from San Diego to L.A. However, the move was not approved by the NBA, which fined him $25 million. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination in using race as a factor in filing some of his apartment buildings. In February 2009, Sterling was sued by former longtime Clippers executive Elgin Baylor for employment discrimination on the basis of age and race.

Basketball wise, Sterling and his Clippers suffered through many lackluster seasons. They did not have a winning season until the 1991-92 season, 11 years into his ownership. In Sterling’s 33 years of owning the Clippers through 2013-14, they lost 50 or more games 22 times, 60 or more on eight occasions, and 70 games once.

Donald Sterling was, in my opinion, one of the worst sports owners ever, along with Dan Snyder, the Redskins owner. And it’s not just me saying that. Sporting News called Sterling the “worst owner in basketball for decades,” while The New York Times and Forbes called him the “worst owner in sports.” In 2009, ESPN the Magazine named the Clippers the worst team in professional sports.

The Clippers finally became a contender in the 2005-06 season, winning 47 games, with players like Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. They got better in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

But it’s not just Sterling’s ownership of the Clippers that caused controversy, it’s also his personal life. He has a wife named Rochelle “Shelly” Smith but also had two girlfriends as his wife didn’t care. Both he and his wife are scum for this.

Recently, Sterling spoke publicly for the first time since his ban from the NBA in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. He said, “I’m not racist. I made a terrible, terrible mistake.” I’m not buying it. He also said that Magic Johnson, the person he used racist remarks towards in that audio tape recording, “hasn’t done anything for the black people because he has AIDS.” Look at all the organizations that Magic has founded over the years: The Magic Johnson Foundation, Magic Johnson Enterprises, Magic Johnson Theaters, etc. He even purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team. Not only was Magic Johnson an All-Star NBA player, he is a huge businessman.

With Sterling gone, Clippers fans are happy and will not have to worry. Although, Sterling’s wife Shelly could become the full-time owner of the team. In an interview, Shelly and her lawyer, Pierce O’Donnell vowed to fight the league if it tried to force her out. But in their minds, she is collateral damage.