Sterling Receives Lifetime Ban
The Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA. This is the league's response to the racist comments that Sterling made in a recorded conversation. This was the new NBA's commissioner's first test. Adam Silver will fine Sterling $2.5 million. The $2.5 million fine will be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts that will be jointly selected by the NBA and the players' association. Silver has full intention to attempt Sterling to sell his Clippers franchise. Silver will need help from the other owners in order to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. Without a doubt, this is the stiffest penalty that has ever been handed out in any of the major sports. Silver has come out on the record saying that the Clippers' owner has admitted that it was his voice heard on the recording. The NBA will wait and see how Sterling will respond to the league's attended actions, most likely with a lawsuit against the league.
While Sterling's racist remarks has cause a massive uproar among the entire league, former players, other owners, and of course the public, forcing Sterling to sell his team may cause concern from the rest of the league's team owners. Legends such as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, current NBA superstars like LeBron James, and owners such as Marc Cuban agree that the league would be better off without Sterling. Cuban has personally said that causing Sterling to sell would be a "Slippery Slope." The NBA Constitution lists gambling as the only reason to allow the commissioner to remove an owner. The bottom line is that all owners, players, and any employee of the NBA think that Sterling should be barred from the NBA for life, some of the owners just do not think that Commissioner Adam Silver has enough power to force him to sell the franchise. While there clearly is no room for any prejudice or racism in the NBA, a person's beliefs are not solid ground for forcing an owner to sell a franchise. Suspension and a fine is an absolute must which most everybody on this earth supports, but forcing someone to sell something based on their personal belief's is hard to fathom.
By Steven Spector -4-29-14
