LOS ANGELES- Clippers owner and real estate tycoon Donald T. Sterling has been amidst controversy since he bought the Clippers back in 1982. Sterling has had a reputation of always being cheap with his players, coaching staffs and employees within the organization.
With all the talented #1 draft picks the Clippers have consumed over the years, there is no way they should've only made the playoffs twice since being in Los Angeles. Clipper fans and the NBA can thank one Donald T. Sterling for that. From the reports he used the players air miles when they would fly to various cities and cash them in for himself, to him making the team take a bus to some destinations, to his latest antics of his organization celebrating Black History month in March. According to a newspaper ad in the Los Angeles Times, Sterling gave away to a thousand underprivileged kids Clippers tickets, which can imply that your linking poverty to black & brown kids, because how are you going to determine who is in need or not? Whether that's what Sterling is implying, that's the message being handed down. Which is absolutely insensitive, pimping a month of heritage to try to gain some publicity and keep the heat off who you really are, many people haven’t forgotten Sterling.
Lets me remind you, Sterling had to pay off in a settlement for housing discrimination suits in the amount of $2.73 million dollars. Also former Clippers GM Elgin Baylor who had been employed by Sterling for approximately 22 years is suing him for age & racial discrimination. I also remind you former coach & GM Mike Dunleavy is suing Sterling for not paying him the money owed.
Donald Sterling between the housing discrimination suits, berating one of his former players in Baron Davis in front of Sterling's friends & fans, why is this owner not serving some type of suspension by the league? Its a double standard because when athletes get caught in scandals (i.e. DUI’s, Domestic abuse, accidents) its blown all over the media, and I fail to see how owners don’t get the same treatment.
This so-called Black History gesture is appalling, insensitive and dare I say has many racial undertones in it. Are we really surprised? I’m not, this has been the history of one cheap, racially discriminating individual. This behavior should not be tolerated in society let alone in the NBA amongst its owners. I wouldn’t mind as basketball fan & follower of the sport if the NBA bought the Clippers just as they did with the New Orleans Hornets. Atleast it would have a fighting chance of improving as an organization, and team.
And with the possible relocation of the Sacramento Kings moving to Anaheim, do you think that will put a fire in the pockets of Donald Sterling to step it up as an owner......sadly I think not.
I am thoroughly convinced this man does not care about his reputation as owner & most importantly as a human being, and if this Black History ad isn’t the biggest slap in the face, I don't know what is.
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