As the Robert Sarver scandal continues to spread, it’s worth noting that Donald Sterling, another NBA player who was previously the subject of public investigation, was forced to give up his team and, as a result, received an NBA lifetime suspension.
As a result of racist remarks he made to his fiancée while they were on the phone, Sterling, the Los Angeles Clippers, was forced to give up control of the team and pay a sizable $2.5 million fine.
Donald Sterling’s firm had a sharp decline as no corporation was willing to have a relationship of any kind with the bigoted person, and everything fell apart for him overnight. In a throwback video, former NBA star Metta World Peace discusses how the league was racist before Sterling’s departure and how many businesses, including Red Bull, Kia, Virgin America, and Adidas, severed ties with the group and faced numerous lawsuits for the same.
It goes without saying that Sterling was widely denounced for his remarks. When asked about the prevalence of racism in the NBA in a previous interview with Vlad TV, Metta World Peace responded, "Well, I think it was racism with Mr. Donald Sterling. I think that was racist. Um, I think he lost his team over it. He did get paid a lot of money, but he didn't want to sell his team. Yeah, and he was already a billionaire, so it's not like he got a shout out, I mean
NBA News: He Highlighted How Pervasive Racism Was in the Country at the Time
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In addition, he highlighted how pervasive racism was in the country at the time, saying, "America has been racist for a long time right yeah, so obviously is racism in every big corporation right that started and when the NBA first started, the NBA was very racist in the 19th century.
"They had an I don't think so I don't think so now I don't know I'm not that educated but you know I think over time, growing up in America, you know, you got people who realise that racism is very very ignorant, you know, and that's where we are today. You know, people understand it, you know, and people are very, very knowledgeable towards racism every day," he continued.
In 2014, the National Basketball League made Donald Sterling sell the Los Angeles Clippers after his jealous mistress recorded him making racist comments about Magic Johnson and getting a warning from him not to promote or hang out with Black men on Instagram.
Sarver and the Suns Players Participated in a Conference Call
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Some of you don’t believe it was appropriate for the NBA to order Sterling to sell his possessions simply because he expressed some opinions. But the real issue was that none of his business associates wanted to work with him anymore.
The Phoenix Suns’ owner, Robert Sarver, stated that he “would rather not be partners with someone who has the beliefs that were articulated on those tapes.” The Arizona Republic was informed by Sarver that “this attitude should be one that is held by both players and owners in our league.” We’re all in this together, at the end of the day.
That seems logical. Later, Sarver and the Suns’ players participated in a conference call. He reminded them, “You know my record on these things. Promoting diversity, intolerance, and respect for all individuals is “a significant part of what the NBA is about.”