In 2014, former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling drew the ire of the NBA community. His then-girlfriend V. Stiviano leaked his profanity-laded racist remarks about African American athletes. As a result, Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life within a few days and forced him to sell the team. After being an NBA owner for more than two decades, he unceremoniously lost his job. But, what was it like for the African American Clippers players to meet the man who seemingly despised them?
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The 2023 champion DeAndre Jordan, who was a part of the illustrious ‘Lob City’ Clippers, for a decade, recalled his meetings with Sterling. Looking back at his rookie year with the franchise in 2008, on Podcast P with Paul George, Jordan admitted that he was ill at ease in Sterling’s presence.
He revealed that Sterling used to bring many people to the locker room after the game, who used to have awkward interactions with athletes. Then, he turned his attention to the “white parties” hosted at Sterling’s Malibu home.
During these parties, athletes had to wear white-colored attire. These get-togethers were seemingly meant to portray African American athletes merely as objects of desire. Reminiscing about one such day, Jordan stated what happened with Blake Griffin,
“He[Donald Sterling] was like escorting Blake around the party, it was kind of like, ‘Oh, meet him, isn’t he tall and handsome and look at his muscles’. It was kind of like, ‘All right well’. Even Blake was like what the fu**.”
These red flags loudly indicated Sterling’s worldview about athletes such as Jordan and Griffin. These athletes knew that something was off about their owner’s approach and when he was exposed in 2014, it might not have been as surprising for them.
Donald Sterling’s trouble-riddled Clippers legacy
Accusations of racism had always plagued Sterling’s 23-year-long Clippers ownership. During a 2009 lawsuit in LA Superior Court, Elgin Baylor alleged that the then-Clippers owner was stalling his wages because of his skin color while he was ready to bestow a multi-million contract to then-Clippers head coach, Mike Dunleavy Jr.
However, by 2011, the book was closed on this lawsuit and Sterling had emerged victorious. But things took a turn for worse in 2014 for the business mogul as his racist remarks were publicized and immediately drew a rebuke from NBA greats such as Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal. It was not surprising when his downfall was captivated by a documentary.
On June 4, 2024, FX1 released the first episode of a mini-series called ‘Clipped’ that chronicles Donald Sterling’s time as a Clippers owner, and its first chapter covered the ‘White Parties’. In this Gina Welch-created series, actor Ed O’Neill plays the character of the former LA Clippers owner.
