Former Suns and Charlotte Hornets star Rex Chapman recently talked about Donald Sterling on his Owned with Rex Chapman podcast. Sterling was formerly the owner of the LA Clippers franchise from 1981 to 2014. Known for his utterly financially stringent ways, Chapman talked about a particular story involving a fan named Michael Spilger. Spilger had won a $1000 free throw contest organized by Sterling. However, the then-$700,000,000 Clippers owner decided to avoid payment until he was slapped with a lawsuit. The revelation took place on the July 3rd episode of Rex Chapman’s podcast.
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Donald Sterling is infamous for being one of the worst, cheapest owners in the history of the league. His refusal to pay $1000 is just one of the plethora of incidents that he garnered negative publicity for.
Donald Sterling gets roasted by Rex Chapman for trying to avoid $1000 payment
Back in 1981, Sterling had only recently acquired the then-San Diego Clippers. He held a free throw shooting contest for fans which ended up being won by Michal Spilger.
However, when it came to paying up, Sterling first offered a hotel room in Puerto Rico instead of the money. Then, he claimed that Spilger should talk to the promotion department of the Clippers to get the money. This led to a range of calls and letters from Spilger, who even started calling the owner;
“Spilger gets a chance to meet Sterling afterwards and asks for his $1000 prize. That is when Sterling, who is wroth about $700 million at this point, gets weird. First, he offers a trip to Spilger instead of the cash, but he says it’s just the hotel room, no airfare, or anything. Spilger says he just wants the money. Sterling asks Spilger to get in touch with the Clippers promotion department and dunks out. For the next year, Spilger tries everything to get his $1000. He makes calls to team employees, he writes them letters, he even tracks Sterling down and talks to him on the phone, but no luck. So, Spilger files a lawsuit and that finally does it. He gets a check for a $1000. But this saga is just the smallest taste of Donald Sterling trying to keep all the money for himself.”
However, when none of the above worked out, Spilger was forced to file a lawsuit. This proved to be quick and effective, as within days Spilger ended up receiving the cheque that he deserved.
Sterling was accused of being racist amidst cheapskate ways
Sterling was known for an infamous racist rant against Elgin Baylor, according to Vox. His time at the franchise was fraught with constant controversies. Sterling was known to have used the n-word in front of one of the coaches for Baylor.
That was in addition to his constant money-saving schemes. He was known to have pulled out of multiple trades over concerns about payments, and is said to be the worst owner of all time in the NBA.
Despite his racist tendencies, Sterling was known to favor black players, and claimed that white players do not deserve bigger payments, according to Sports Illustrated. A unique combination of at least two different types of racism at play.
