Donald Sterling

NBA Players Want Sterling Punished

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, working on behalf of the National Basketball Players Association,
said the players want the NBA to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling from attending
future playoff games this season and levy the maximum possible punishment against Sterling in response
to racist comments purportedly made by him to girlfriend V. Stiviano.

Johnson met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Sunday before they attended Game 4 of the
Clippers' first-round series against the Golden State Warriors. During the meeting, Johnson laid out
what the players felt were key objectives in terms of the league's dealings with Sterling.

"The players wanted to ensure that Mr. Sterling does not attend any games for the Clippers or any
other team for the duration of the playoffs," Johnson said. "We're confident that the commissioner
understood that this is an enormous distraction for everyone, and we want the focus to really be
on the games and what's taking place on the court, and he certainly understood that."

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 in their 118-97 loss.

"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 statements 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."

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.

Johnson said he wanted Silver to explain the range of sanctions that could be levied against Sterling
if the accusations against him were true and then to see the maximum level of those sanctions used.

Donald Sterling was AWARE he was being taped during the conversation that was posted on TMZ
Sports, in which the L.A. Clippers owner went on a racial rant ... so claims the woman who taped him.

A source connected with V. Stiviano tells TMZ Sports ... the full conversation lasted approximately 1 hour. We're told Stiviano insists it was clear to Sterling at the beginning of the conversation he was being recorded.

What's more ... our sources say Stiviano routinely recorded her conversations with Sterling as HIS "archivist." And what's more ... she would regularly play the tapes back to him because he would often forget what he had said.

Our sources say sometime after the tape was recorded on April 9 ... Stiviano and Sterling got in an argument because he wanted her to sign a confidentiality agreement ... which she would not. We're told he then denied ever making the racist statements on the tape, so she played the entire tape for back him ... before it was ever posted on TMZ Sports.

First off hawkeye.I believe one's character is defined by how we act when no one's looking, not what awards we win in the limelight.

NAACP returning all donations made by Donald Sterling

The NAACP says Donald Sterling will not be receiving its lifetime achievement award from
its Los Angeles branch after the Clippers owner allegedly made racially charged comments
in a recorded conversation.

Leon Jenkins, president of the LA NAACP, said at a news conference Monday that donations
made by Sterling will be returned. He wouldn't say how much money was involved but called
it an "insignificant amount."

Sterling had been slated to receive the honor on May 15 as part of the 100th anniversary
celebration of the group's Los Angeles chapter.

Leon Jenkins, president of the LA NAACP, said at a news conference Monday that donations
made by Sterling will be returned. He wouldn't say how much money was involved but called
it an "insignificant amount."

Second.He wanted her to remove photos of her with Magic J?
Are you kidding me?
Magic Johnson is one of the most admired and respected black men in America.