LIFE!

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced moments ago that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life from the NBA. Sterling may not participate in any league activities, including games, practices, and team or league operations decisions and activities. Sterling was also fined $2.5 million, the maximum allowed under the NBA Constitution.

GET IT HOW YOU LIVE

Ultimately, this story is about unequivocally offensive,vile, and disturbing remarks made in a private conversation that were leaked to the public. Silver noted however, that the remarks are now public and reflect Sterling’s views. With great power comes great responsibility. People of the highest profiles have to be acutely aware that they are under a constant microscope.

While I personally find unsettling the means by which we learned of who the real Donald Sterling is, that bell cannot be un-rung. To allow continued association with the NBA as an owner would permanently damage the image of the NBA. Silver had no choice but to act swiftly and decisively. Boy did he…!

COULDN’T HAPPEN TO A BETTER GUY

This is not the first incident of racism involving Sterling. This is not the first incident involving Sterling that reflected poorly on the NBA and its business. Sterling has repeatedly been documented for engaging in questionable and unethical business practices involving his treatment of and timely payment of money owed to employees. He paid out a record settlement in a housing discrimination lawsuit, in which, among other alleged violations of the law, Sterling made sweeping and offensive racial generalizations. This is not a good guy.

On record, Sterling has built up very little good will with anyone over the years. I never heard a kind word about the man before the racism scandal broke over the weekend. In fact, what I have read and heard about the man from any source anywhere has been almost entirely negative. As an NBA owner, his tenure was absolutely laughable until the arrivals of All-Stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, and 2008 NBA Champion Head Coach Doc Rivers. Prior to the 2011-2012 season (and Paul’s arrival), the Clippers were the perennial laughing stock of the NBA, rarely afforded the slightest possibility of having a season that was not abysmal by anyone in the know in the NBA. Even a broken clock is right twice per day.

The means leading to Sterling’s last straw was foul, but the outcome was fair and, regardless of what prompted the ban, the NBA is better off for it.

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

Image from www.memegenerator.net

Tarnished Sterling

TMZ released an audio recording purportedly of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist statements while arguing with his then-girlfriend, V. Stiviano. Some of the sentiments expressed on the recording include Sterling, who is white, allegedly telling Stiviano not to bring any black people to Clippers game, including Basketball Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Magic Johnson. He also expressed wishes for Stiviano not to "broadcast" pictures of herself with black people on Instagram.

The nine-and-a-half minute recording can be heard in its entirety in the YouTube upload of this past Saturday's Louisiana All American Sports radio show at the 39:00 mark. Sterling, allegedly, is heard repeatedly asking Stiviano to not associate with minorities. He cites his "culture". He then goes into a disorganized, almost nonsensical sociology monologue about Blacks and Latinos and how "things have always been". Stiviano is half Black and half Mexican.

Maybe Sterling really doesn't see color. Psst! Donny boy. You're girlfriend is (half) black (gasp)! 1

NOT SO SURPRISING

I received a text early Saturday morning from my Internet and radio broadcast partner, Perry Daniels, about the Sterling story. As soon as I saw Sterling's name in the hyperlink to the story, before even reading it, I thought, "What did this known a-hole do this time?" I wasn't quite prepared for the bombshell that followed, but I was not exactly in a state of disbelief, either.

Sterling has been sued and settled out of court for a record payoff, just short of $3 million, in a housing discrimination suit. Basketball Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor,  a former Clippers executive under Sterling, sued Sterling for withheld pay and also alleged racial biases in the Clippers' workplace tied to Sterling. In short, this isn't the first time with Sterling.

Sterling is possibly one of the least liked owners in the NBA by all accounts. His team was a laughing stock for decades before acquiring current Head Coach Doc Rivers and All-Stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. His reputation for penny pinching to the detriment of his NBA organization preceded him. Since this story broke, a story was reported on sports radio that the other NBA owners tied to rid themselves of Sterling in the past by "encouraging" him to sell.

This type of black eye on the league via Donald Sterling was a long time coming.

Adam Silver didn't start it, but, taking him at his word, he's going to finish it. 2

NOW WHAT?

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver vowed to respond swiftly and aggressively to this image crisis. Clippers players have already made symbolic statements like wearing black socks and wristbands and wearing their warm-up tee shirts inside-out before Sunday's Game 4 of their first round matchup with the Golden State Warriors. Doc Rivers has acknowledged the distraction that this is become but also said, "We have a job to do." Rivers, a former NBA player, by all accounts is very respected by his players and the Clippers players appear to be following Coach Rivers' lead.

Given the highly competitive nature of Western Conference basketball and the razor-thin gaps in talent from top-to-bottom between teams, this distraction could be enough to tip the scales on the court and preclude the Clippers from winning an NBA Championship (possibly preclude them from advancing past the Warriors in the first round). The possibility of the players union filing a grievance and asking for players to have the power to opt out of their contracts should Sterling retain ownership is not far fetched. The Clippers have, overnight, become the least attractive free agency destination in the NBA. This would make offseason player personnel improvements very difficult, particularly in a league in which roughly 80% of its players are Black.

Doc Rivers is not a miracle worker, but he'll have to come close to it to salvage his team's playoff run. 3

LONG TERM

Should the TMZ recording be authenticated, which I suspect it will, in the absence of a really good explanation, Sterling has to go, immediately. The NBA probably cannot force Sterling to sell his team (I am not familiar with the NBA's bylaws) but they can compel him to do so by creating an environment in which continued ownership of the Clippers is not desirable to Sterling.

There is no room in pro sports, especially in a league like the NBA that has an image of earning an A+ in diversity over the years. The more swift, decisive, and appropriate a resolution is reaching in this incident, the faster the crisis will be behind the league and its players, coaches, and owners. It is my hope that Adam Silver backs up his bold and unequivocal proclamation over the weekend to respond to these events with action.

Ironic? The league wants to get rid of Donald Sterling, independent of this scandal. Another  Los Angeles franchise turned its public image around overnight with a change in ownership. That same ownership group has D..E..E..P pockets and is rumored to want to get his foot into the door of the NBA. Cue Alanis Morissette. Just sayin'.... 4

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

1) Image from www.hollywoodreporter.com
2) Image from www.startribune.com
3) Image from http://sports.yahoo.com
4) Image from www.fansided.com

David Stern Steps Down as NBA Commissioner

Tomorrow, NBA Commissioner David Stern's 30 year reign as league commissioner will come to an end. Currently, the the NBA is second only to the NFL in television ratings. Basketball is the second most popular sport in the world after soccer. NBA players are the highest paid athletes in the world. None of this could be said prior to February 1, 1984, Stern's first day on the job.

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY

Shortly before Stern's tenure as commissioner began, NBA Finals games were often on tape delay, not live, airing as late as 11:30 pm in some markets. Not all conference finals games were nationally televised. Some first round games were not aired at all.

The NBA suffered from an image tarnished by rapid drug use, particularly cocaine, in the 1970s. Television revenues were a pittance compared to the NFL and Major League Baseball. The NBA was circling the drain prior to 1984. It was in danger of becoming a niche sport in a contracting league.

With some innovation and a little luck in the form of some of the most marketable superstars in American sports history entering the league, Stern rapidly led the transformation of the league's image and fortunes. By the 1990s, NBA superstars were among the most recognizable in the world. The NBA was an A-list league rivaling the NFL and MLB. Multiple games were nationally televised every week. The NBA Finals were a ratings bonanza. Basketball had become a truly international sport.

Stern and the media could sometimes be like oil and water. 1

LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM

Words like "warm" and "cuddly" will not be used when recalling Stern's legacy as commissioner. He was often brash, smug, and obnoxious in dealing with players, the media, and owners. Like all leaders, he often made decisions that ruffled some feathers.

Whether or not you like David Stern the person, if you enjoy the NBA today, his contribution in growing the game into an American entertainment powerhouse is undeniable. Players, coaches, and owners have reaped more lucrative financial rewards from Stern's vision than ever imaginable in the mid-1980s. Simply put, everyone invested in the NBA, directly or indirectly, is better off because of Stern's efforts as Commissioner.

Stern will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver tomorrow. Like every sports league commissioner, I expect that Silver will continue to try to grow the league and make it even better than it is today. Stern started his run as Commissioner with his feet in quicksand. Silver has one hell of a running start.

Replacing Stern is a tall order, but the much taller Silver could probably take him in one-on-one. 2

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.  

The NBA logo is a registered trademark of the National Basketball Association.
1) Image from www.oregonlive.com
2) Image from http://espn.go.com