Clippers owner banned for life over race remarks

 The NBA came down hard on Los Angeles Clippers owner DonaldSterling, banning him for life for "deeply offensive and harmful" racist commentsthat sparked a national firestorm.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hit Sterling with every penalty at his disposal onTuesday, fining him a maximum $2.5 million dollars and calling on other owners toforce him to sell his team.The swift, sharp reaction drew praise from around the league and buoyed Clippersplayers, who defeated the Golden State Warriors 113-103 on Tuesday night to take a3-2 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series."I thought they were great," Clippers coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers said of his players. "Ithought they were tired a lot, and that was the result of the last few days."I just thought they had great mental toughness. They wanted to will this game, andI'm just proud of them."Rivers said before the game that the sanctions meted out by Silver were "the sigh ofrelief we needed"."Is this over? No, it's not over," Rivers added. "But it's the start of a healing processthat we need."Rivers said he felt his team had played under undeserved stress in the three dayssince an audio recording surfaced of 80-year-old married billionaire Sterling chastising his girlfriend for publicly associating with blacks."It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with blackpeople. Do you have to?" the man now confirmed to be Sterling says in therecording. "The little I ask you is not to promote it... and not to bring them to my games.""The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful," Silver told anews conference in New York. "That they came from an NBA owner only heightensthe damage and my personal outrage."The punishment means real estate tycoon Sterling cannot attend any NationalBasketball Association (NBA) games or workouts, appear at any Clippers office orfacility, or make any business or personnel decisions for the club.Silver said he will urge NBA owners to force Sterling to sell. That would requirethree-quarters of the owners to agree, and Silver said he fully expected to get thenecessary support.Clippers players staged a silent protest in Oakland on Sunday before a road loss tothe Warriors and Rivers said the affair had taken a toll.But fans, torn by love for the team and dismay at Sterling, were also soothed by the NBA's hard stance and greeted the Clippers rapturously before contest."Hate will never win," read one sign held by a fan. "Rise above" said another."This is our house," the public address announcer said as Los Angeles players tookthe court for pre-game warm-ups. "Be proud of your team.""When we ran out for warm-ups it was one of the most emotional things I've everbeen a part of," said Clippers star Chris Paul. "To feel the support of our fans -- I wasn't sure what we would come back to."Silver, in his 88th day as commissioner after taking over from 30-year NBA bossDavid Stern, apologized to NBA coaches, players, fans and business partners, adding,"This has been a painful moment for all members of the NBA family."More than a dozen sponsors severed or suspended their relationships with theClippers, but the market value of the team Sterling bought for $12 million in 1981 isstill expected to approach $600 million.Already on Tuesday potential suitors were lining up, a list including former boxingWorld Champion turned promoter Oscar de la Hoya and, reportedly, reigning worldchamp Floyd Mayweather and entertainment mogul David Geffen.NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, whose photo with Sterling's girlfriend promptedthe tirade that led to the owner's banishment, has also been mentioned as apotential buyer.Johnson tweeted his approval of Silver's ruling saying "we have a great leaderleading our league."Silver's few critics wondered how Sterling was tolerated so long by owners, givenpast court cases against him over discrimination charges, but Silver noted that ineach instance, Sterling won the legal fight."At the end of the day the commissioner did an incredible job of making us feel likethe situation is under control," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "The situation willbe handled."Kevin Johnson, a former NBA standout acting for the players union in place ofClippers player and union president Chris Paul, said it was a defining moment inNBA history."I believe that today stands as one of those great moments where sports, onceagain, transcends, where sports provides a place for fundamental change on howour country should think and act," Johnson said. Source: AFP