Today, new NBA Commissioner Adam Silver suspended Los Angeles Clippers Owner Donald Sterling for life due to the racist-remarks captured on an audio-tape released by TMZ.
“The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful. We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views. The simply have no place in the NBA,” Commissioner Adam Silver said, according to New York Times.
Ladies and gentlemen there is a new sheriff in town.
Not only did Adam Silver act swiftly but he ruled with an iron-fist with the lifetime-ban. This was Silver’s first controversy to deal with and he succeeded in the eyes of everybody.
Silver also stated his intentions to force the sale of the Clippers to another principle.
The immediate reaction for most is relief. NBA personalities such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are all clapping their hands as we speak.
The thinking following the immediate reaction though is suspicion, and Magic Johnson is at the forefront.
While there is no place for real accusations at this moment, the questions must be brought up, especially for a league that’s dealt with many conspiracy theories in the past (such as the 1985 NBA Draft and disgraced former NBA Referee Tim Donaghy to name a couple).
Many refer to the NBA as “Basketball with a Pro-Wrestling twist.”
While nobody can deny that Sterling's views are incredibly wrong, taking a step back and examining the entire situation from the NBA's standpoint is crucial.
Donald Sterling’s history is controversial to say the least. He took over the struggling Clippers franchise for a cool $12 million in 1981, according to CNN. The owners that were around during that struggling stage of the NBA are almost all gone now. Sterling succeeded to pull the wool over many eyes during his tenure, but now his time has run out.
Sterling has owned and operated a terrible franchise for the better part of 25 years. They have been the butt of many jokes and digs over-time. In addition, Sterling has also dealt with a checkered past.
The real-estate business is where Sterling made most of his fortune. This is the same business that the rest of the NBA has seen him get repeatedly sued over questionable discrimination practices in his rental-apartments he owns with his wife in Southern California, according to Yahoo.
Fellow NBA owners and players knew about Sterling and did not like him. Is it such a stretch to think he’s being forced out here by the NBA?
V. Stiviano (girlfriend of Sterling who recorded him and released the tapes), is being sued by Rochelle Sterling (wife of Donald Sterling). While it is another case of a woman doing what she can to get herself out of a very “tight-corner,” could it also be that the NBA was directly involved?
Why was Stiviano so motivated to do this?
Think of the situation for a moment. The NBA wants Sterling out, but making that happen is an impossibility unless just-cause is there. They all know who Donald Sterling is and what he stands for. It is perfect, and at the center of it all is Magic Johnson.
Magic is reported to be friends with V. Stiviano and is mentioned on the audio recording directly. Shortly after the audio is released and the entire world thrusts their opinions on the topic, Magic claims that he would buy the Clippers franchise and that Sterling needs to be forced out of the NBA.
Could it of course just be an innocent comment made by the NBA legend? Sure. For some strange reason though the NBA and conspiracy theories always go hand in hand and once the ball starts rolling it does not stop until it hits a wall.
The irony is just too good to pass up. The entire controversy started with an Instagram picture involving Johnson and Stiviano, and now Magic wants to buy the franchise?
Interesting.
Magic Johnson is currently a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has the wherewithal and the money to own the Clippers. What better way to spark more interest in a Lakers / Clippers rivalry than to have Magic (former Laker) own the second-citizen in L.A.
Although Magic quickly retracted his statement of wanting to buy the Clippers, we’ll all stay tuned-in to find out what the future holds.
The best part is this: The NBA (along with the entire world) realizes that nobody cares about how “set-up” Sterling was or about “who” was involved. Nobody cares because Sterling’s true nasty-colors were revealed to the world and everybody is now glad he’s gone.
Yes it’s true, there is no place for those comments, but Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban brings up an interesting point: "What Donald said was wrong. It was abhorrent," Cuban said. "There's no place for racism in the NBA, any business I'm associated with. But at the same time, that's a decision I make. I think you've got to be very, very careful when you start making blanket statements about what people say and think, as opposed to what they do. It's a very, very slippery slope," according to The Associated Press.
It seems like Adam Silver and the NBA operated under their own set of rules and guidelines today. Silver might have been thinking about the appreciation received for the lifetime ban (and the brighter future of the Clippers with another owner), rather than the precedent this now sets moving forward.
In any event, Adam Silver and the NBA can officially smile now as the bad-man is gone. But it does add another possible conspiracy-theory to the ledger of NBA history.
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