Sunday, April 27, 2014

Extended version of racist remarks alleged to be from Donald Sterling emerges

11:28 AM


Extended audio of the racist remarks being allegedly attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has emerged.
Deadspin has gotten their hands on an extended, 15-minute version of the conversation between V. Stiviano and a man reported to be Sterling. The original audio from TMZ was just 10 minutes, and Deadspin has posted the additional five minutes. 
The most controversial statements had already been made public, but the extended wording of some of them is sure to be equally contentious:
Man: Well then, if you don't feel—don't come to my games. Don't bring black people, and don't come.
V: Do you know that you have a whole team that's black, that plays for you?
Man: You just, do I know? I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have—Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?
The couple also discuss Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp as if he's some sort of racial demarcation and crudely bring up the treatment of black people and Jewish people in Israel and during the Holocaust.
The NBA has said that they will work swiftly to confirm if the audio is actually Sterling and verify that it hasn't been altered.
You can catch up on more details, reactions and legal ramifications in the storyline below.
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Michael Jordan blasts Donald Sterling for alleged racist remarks

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Charlotte Bobcats owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan has provided a statement on the audio tape that contains racist remarks being attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Jordan, one of the league's few minority owners, emphatically states that "There is no room in the NBA - or anywhere else - for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed." Jordan went in, basically, and left little room for dissenting opinion.
The full statement is below, courtesy of Tim Bontemps of the New York Post:
I look at this from two perspectives – as a current owner and a former player. As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views. I’m confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly. As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA - or anywhere else - for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed. I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level.
The statement should carry enormous weight given who they're coming from. Not only is Jordan an African-American owner of an NBA team, but he's also the league's most iconic ex-player. Further, he's generally kept his opinions on political matters close to the chest, famously saying "Republicans buy shoes too" as a reason not to take sides on issues.
Between Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and President Barack Obama, some of the biggest and most influential names in basketball and all of America have spoken up on the issue now. And they're all taking a very similar stance.
Commissioner Adam Silver has said that the league will move swiftly to verify that it is Sterling on the tape and that it has not been altered, and from there the league hopes to have a resolution within a few days.
You can catch up on more details, reactions and legal ramifications in the storyline below.
Feature photo courtesy of USA Today Sports/Sam Sharpe

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