Basketball
Commissioner Adam Silver slapped Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald
Sterling with a lifetime ban from the sport and a $2.5 million fine
Tuesday over racist remarks attributed to Sterling.
Silver said the
National Basketball Association "will begin immediately" to force
Sterling to sell the team, which he has owned since the 1980s. Sterling
admitted it was his voice on the recording, but expressed no remorse for
the remarks, Silver said.
"Sentiments of
this kind are contrary to the principles of inclusion and respect that
form the foundation of our diverse, multicultural and multi-ethnic
league," Silver said. Regardless of whether Sterling's views were
expressed in private, "They are now public and they reflect his views."
READ MORE AFTER THE CUT................................
The fine is the
maximum that can be imposed under NBA rules. Under the ban, Sterling
can't go to games, attend practices, make decisions regarding the team
or attend NBA meetings, and Silver said NBA owners are expected to
provide the three-quarters vote needed to force Sterling to sell the
team.
Before
Tuesday's announcement, the head of the league's players association had
called for Silver to hit Sterling with the most severe penalties.
"When a hint of
cancer is shown, you have to cut it out immediately, and I feel that's
where the players are today," Kevin Johnson, the former all-star who is
the chairman of the National Basketball Players Association's executive
committee, told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."
Johnson said
the players trust that the new commissioner, on the job for less than
three months, will find the right penalties for Sterling.
"They don't
think he's worthy to be an owner," said Johnson, also the mayor of
Sacramento, "so whether there's a sanction that includes a suspension,
whether there's a sanction that includes a hefty fine ... the players
feel very strongly that he's not fit to be an owner and a part of this
NBA family."
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti praised the announcement.
"Those are exactly the sorts of strong statements we need to stand up against these hateful comments," Garcetti said.....CNN
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