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magic johnson
NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson has said he will pray for LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who is embroiled in an ongoing race row.
Magic Johnson rejected Donald Sterling’s remarks a day earlier that the HIV-positive ex-player had done nothing to help others.
“My whole life is devoted to urban America,” Magic Johnson, 54, told CNN.
Last month, Donald Sterling, 81, was banned from the NBA after making racist remarks in reference to a photo of Magic Johnson.
Magic Johnson’s remarks on CNN on Tuesday night came in response to a second round of comments that Donald Sterling made the previous day.
“What kind of a guy goes to every city, has s** with every girl, then he catches HIV?” Donald Sterling told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday.
Magic Johnson rejected Donald Sterling’s remarks a day earlier that the HIV-positive ex-player had done nothing to help others
“Is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background. But what does he do for the black people? He doesn’t do anything.”
On Tuesday, in his own interview with Anderson Cooper, Magic Johnson responded: “I’m a God-fearing man and I’m going to pray for him and hope things work out for him.
“But he’s a man who’s upset and he’s reaching. He’s reaching. He’s trying to find something that he can grab on to help him save his team. And it’s not going to happen.”
The row began last month after a recording surfaced in which Donald Sterling was heard asking a woman – later identified as his girlfriend V. Stiviano – not to associate in public with black people, nor to bring them to games.
Those comments were reportedly prompted in part by a photo that circulated on social media in which Magic Johnson posed with the woman.
Subsequently, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Donald Sterling from the sport and fined him $2.5 million. The NBA has also initiated proceedings to force him to sell his ownership stake in the Clippers.
In his interview with Anderson Cooper that aired on Monday, Donald Sterling apologized for the remarks in the recording, saying he was “emotionally distraught” over the comments and that they were a “terrible mistake”.
But he also said he was “baited” into making the remarks, and said he had delayed in apologizing because Magic Johnson had told him to stay quiet.
“Wait, be patient, I’ll help you, we’ll work it out,” Donald Sterling said Magic Johnson told him.
Donald Sterling also implied that Magic Johnson told him to delay apologizing so he could buy the LA Clippers team.
Magic Johnson, one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, was diagnosed with HIV in 1991, left the sport for four years, then returned for the 1995-96 season before retiring as a player.
He has yet to comment publicly on whether he plans to pursue an ownership position.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are competing in the NBA’s Western Conference semi-final playoffs. On Tuesday evening the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder was tied 2-2.
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In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling finally spoke about his racist comments that were leaked in April.
Donald Sterling, 81, apologized for his comments, slammed Magic Johnson and other wealthy African Americans for not doing enough to help minorities, and even insinuated that Anderson Cooper is more of a racist than he is.
Early on in the interview, Donald Sterling tried to gain viewers’ sympathy by describing what his granddaughter had to go through at school after the tapes were released.
“My little grandchild goes to a Catholic nursery, and they were passing around candy to everybody. When they got to her, they said, <<We don’t give candy to racists>>. So it hurts me,” he said.
Donald Sterling took the stance of being set up by V. Stiviano and being “baited” into the comments. He claimed that jealousy is what fueled his comments and not race.
“One of the things that I said was <<don’t bring blacks to my game>>. Twenty-five percent of the people at my games is black. She would always use the black word. That’s a black girl.
“So when she said I’ll bring four gorgeous black guys to the game, players, I was a little jealous, maybe.”
While on the topic of jealousy, Donald Sterling also asked if Anderson Cooper could relate to him being jealous when it comes to women.
Donald Sterling apologized for his comments, slammed Magic Johnson and even insinuated that Anderson Cooper is more of a racist than he is (photo CNN)
“Did you ever like a girl, were you ever jealous of her a little bit if she was with other guys? It’s not that I didn’t want her to be photographed.
“(You were jealous?)
“I admit, I was jealous,” said Donald Sterling apparently unaware that Anderson Cooper is gay.
Donald Sterling then said that Anderson Cooper is the racist, not him.
“I think you have more of a plantation mentality than I do. And I think you’re more of a racist than I am. Because I’m not a racist, and I’ve never been a racist,” he said.
Donald Sterling then went on to bash Magic Johnson and successful black people. In his opinion, Jews help their people when they make it. Black people do not.
“Here is a man … he acts so holy. He made love to every girl in America in every city and he had those AIDS. When he had those AIDS, I went to my synagogue and I prayed for him,” he said.
“What has Magic Johnson done? He’s got AIDS. Did he do any business? Did he help anybody in south L.A.? I think he should be ashamed of himself. What does he do for the black people? I’m telling you he does nothing. It’s all talk.
“I spent millions on giving away and helping minorities. Does he do that? That’s one problem I have. Jews, when they get successful, they will help their people.
“And some of the African Americans, maybe I’ll get in trouble again. They don’t want to help anybody. What has Magic Johnson really done for Children’s Hospital which kids are lying in the hallways. They are sick. They need a bed. What has he done for any hospital? What has he done for any group?”
Anderson Cooper corrected Donald Sterling and let him know Magic Johnson does not have full-blown AIDS, but instead HIV, and also told him a few things Johnson has done for the community and as a businessman.
The interview came to an end with Donald Sterling explaining how V. Stiviano broke his heart.
“This girl, 100 other men could look at her and they wouldn’t even think she was pretty. But she was something special. And the point I’m making is she was a woman who really never asked for anything.
“It’s like a woman stabbing you in the chest or shooting you. And sometimes women say, <<I love him>> and kill him.”
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Donald Sterling’s alleged mistress, V. Stiviano, says his racist comments on an audio recording leaked to the public were not the first by the Los Angeles Clippers owner in conversations with her.
”There’s been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had conversations just like this one. This was one of very many,” V. Stiviano told Barbara Walters on ABC’s 20/20 in an interview that aired Friday night.
”Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There’s a number of other hours that the world doesn’t know.”
Donald Sterling told his personal assistant V. Stiviano in the recording that she should not post online photos of herself with black people, including basketball great Magic Johnson, or bring black people to Clippers’ games.
V. Stiviano said that since the ban, Donald Sterling has felt confused, alone and not supported by those around him
The recording, which an attorney for V. Stiviano said was leaked by a third party, led to public outcry across the country and the NBA. Some sponsors dropped the Clippers and other re-evaluated their relationship with the NBA.
On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Donald Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million and urged league owners to force him to sell the team. A three-quarters vote by the NBA owners is required to force him to sell.
Though V. Stiviano told Barbara Walters that Donald Sterling should ”absolutely” apologize, she said she still loves him like a father figure and does not believe he is a racist.
”I think Mr. Sterling is from a different generation than I am,” she said.
”I think he was brought up to believe these things, segregation, whites and blacks. But through his actions he’s shown that he’s not a racist. He’s shown to be a very generous and kind man.”
V. Stiviano, 31, said that since the ban, Donald Sterling has felt confused, alone and not supported by those around him.
”I think he’s highly more traumatized and hurt by the things that he said himself,” she said.
”I think he can’t even believe or understand sometimes the thing he says, and I think he’s hurt by it. He’s hurting right now.”
Donald Sterling, 80, has been accused of racial missteps before.
The billionaire had paid a $2.76 million settlement to resolve a federal lawsuit accusing him of systematically excluding blacks and Hispanics from his rental properties.
Donald Sterling also won a wrongful termination lawsuit by general manager Elgin Baylor, who accused him of various slurs and slights.
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Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned from the National Basketball Association for life after a recording emerged of him making racist remarks.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Donald Sterling would be forced to sell his interest in the basketball team.
The NBA will also fine Donald Sterling $2.5 million, the maximum allowed.
Donald Sterling, 80, was recorded asking a woman, believed to be his girlfriend V. Stiviano, not to associate in public with black people nor bring them to games.
He later said the recording “does not reflect his views”.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Adam Silver told reporters that Donald Sterling’s “hateful opinions… simply have no place in the NBA”.
“That they came from an NBA owner only heightens the damage,” he said.
In a 10-minute audio recording, Donald Sterling can be heard criticizing V. Stiviano for posting online photographs of herself with black friends at Clippers games
“I am personally distraught that the views expressed by Mr. Sterling came from within an institution that has historically taken a leadership role in matters of race relations.”
Adam Silver said Donald Sterling would be banned from participating in all team business, as well as attending any NBA practices or games.
The fine will be donated to organizations focused on combating racism, he said.
Adam Silver said he would urge the NBA’s board of governors to force Donald Sterling to sell his stake in the team, which he purchased in 1981.
“Commissioner Silver showed great leadership in banning” Sterling, Earvin Magic Johnson tweeted following the announcement.
The row erupted on Friday when celebrity news website TMZ published a 10-minute audio recording in which a man can be heard criticizing a woman, believed to be V. Stiviano, for posting online photographs of herself with black friends at Clippers games.
On Tuesday, Adam Silver said Donald Sterling had acknowledged it was his voice on the recording. It was not clear how or when the conversation was recorded.
The remarks caused an immediate uproar in Los Angeles and among basketball fans across the country.
The Clippers are competing in the first round of the NBA playoffs, drawing extra scrutiny to Donald Sterling’s remarks.
On Sunday, before a game against the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers staged a silent protest, going through a pre-match warm-up with shirts on inside-out to hide the team’s logo.
The players also wore black wristbands or armbands and all wore black socks with their normal jerseys.
Donald Sterling did not attend the game.
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V. Stiviano and her Instagram page was the topic of much conversation on April 26, hours after TMZ broke the news containing an explosive conversation between her and Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Since Friday night, when TMZ posted what it said were the recordings between Donald Sterling and V. Stiviano, she has emerged as a central figure in the scandal, which has generated widespread condemnation and has prompted the NBA to launch an investigation.
On the audiotape, V. Stiviano, 31, appears to spar with the man said to be Donald Sterling, pointing out that she herself is black and Mexican. At other times, she is conciliatory, apologizing and tenderly offering him a sip of juice.
TMZ has described V. Stiviano as being a model “who loves posting hot bikini pics of herself”. She also loved posting pics at Clippers games.
It is not the first time that Donald Sterling has been at the center of a controversy. His estranged wife, Rochelle Sterling, previously filed a lawsuit against V. Stiviano, who is also known as Vanessa Perez, Monica Gallegos and Maria Valdez, alleging that Stiviano reportedly met Donald Sterling in February 2010 and began an adulterous affair with the Clippers owner.
V. Stiviano was sued last month by Rochelle Sterling, who seeks the return of the duplex as well as a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover she said her husband bought for Stiviano.
V. Stiviano was sued last month by Donald Sterling’s wife, who seeks the return of the duplex as well as a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover
Rochelle Sterling alleges in the lawsuit that her husband Donald Sterling met V. Stiviano at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami. The suit describes V. Stiviano as a seductress who targets wealthy older men like the 80-year-old Donald Sterling.
According to property records, V. Stiviano purchased the duplex in December 2013. But Rochelle Sterling says that she allowed her husband to pay for the house, believing that her name would be on the deed along with his.
Donald Sterling also gave V. Stiviano $240,000 for living expenses, according to Rochelle Sterling’s lawsuit, amounting to $2 million of community property that he allegedly spent on Stiviano without his wife’s knowledge.
In a response to the lawsuit, V. Stiviano argues that Rochelle Sterling must have known that her husband of more than 50 years had romantic relationships outside of his marriage.
V. Stiviano’s court filing ridicules the notion that the “feminine wiles of Ms. Stiviano overpowered the iron will of Donald T. Sterling who is well known as one of the most shrewd businessmen in the world”. V. Stiviano’s papers, however, do not acknowledge that she was in a romantic relationship with Sterling.
Her attorney, Mac Nehoray, said Sunday the tape is authentic but that his client did not release it to TMZ.
“Neither Ms. Stiviano, nor this office has ever alleged that Ms. Stiviano is, or ever was, Mr. Sterling’s girlfriend,” Mac Nehoray said in a statement Sunday night.
Mac Nehoray wrote in court papers that his client was “a veritable fixture” at Donald Sterling’s business offices. A Clippers spokesman said V. Stiviano does not work for the team, though he said it is possible she is employed by one of Donald Sterling’s other business ventures.
An advertisement for a 2011 charity luncheon lists V. Stiviano as a director of the Donald Tokowitz Sterling Charitable Foundation, with Sterling as chairman.
In 2010, V. Stiviano legally changed her name to “V. Stiviano” from Maria Vanessa Perez. Her stated reason in a court petition: She had not “yet been fully accepted because of my race.”
Since then, she has created hats and shirts emblazoned with “V. Stiviano.” Her Instagram is dotted with photos of people posing in the “V. Stiviano” gear.
Mac Nehoray said in a statement that the tape is part of an hour-long conversation between V. Stiviano and Donald Sterling.
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Rochelle Sterling, wife of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, attended the team’s Game 4 match against Golden State on Sunday and she was asked questions about the racist remarks that have been attributed to her husband.
Rochelle Sterling, wife of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, attended the team’s Game 4 match against Golden State on Sunday (photo ABC)
Donald Sterling was not in attendance at his team game.
According to ESPN’s Lisa Salters, Rochelle Sterling was adamant that she does not support the comments that have been attributed to her husband. She said that she is not a racist, never has been and never will be.
When Rochelle Sterling was asked whether it was her husband’s voice on the tapes that were released over the weekend, she said hadn’t heard the entire recording and that she wasn’t sure.
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The Los Angeles Clippers have staged a silent protest following reports that their team’s owner Donald Sterling had been secretly recorded making racist remarks.
The Los Angeles Clippers went through a pre-match routine on Sunday with shirts on inside-out to hide the team’s logo.
The NBA is investigating a report on TMZ that Donald Sterling made racist remarks.
Donald Sterling has told TMZ the recording “does not reflect his views”.
The Clippers were playing the Golden State Warriors in Oakland on Sunday in a crucial NBA play-off but the clash was overshadowed by the recorded comments allegedly made by the 80-year-old tycoon.
The players also wore black wristbands or armbands and all wore black socks with their normal jerseys.
The Los Angeles Clippers went through a pre-match routine with shirts on inside-out to hide the team’s logo
Donald Sterling did not attend the game.
In the 10-minute audio recording posted online by TMZ, a man, alleged to be Donald Sterling, can be heard criticizing his girlfriend V. Stiviano for posting photographs of herself with black friends attending Clippers’ matches on a social media site.
“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you are associating with black people. Do you have to?” the man says.
“The little I ask is not to promote it on that… and not to bring them to my games.”
President Barack Obama, currently on a four-nation tour of South-east Asia, condemned the “ignorant” and “incredibly offensive” remarks.
“When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t really have to do anything, you just let them talk,” he said.
In a joint statement published on TMZ Sports on Saturday, Donald Sterling and the Clippers said: “We have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered.”
“We do know that the woman on the tape – who we believe released it to TMZ – is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family.
“Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life.”
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The NBA is investigating a report alleging that Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, made racist remarks.
In a recording posted by TMZ, a man it says is Donald Sterling is heard asking his girlfriend V. Stiviano not to broadcast her association with black people nor bring them to games.
The NBA described the remarks as “disturbing and offensive”.
Donald Sterling later told TMZ the recording “does not reflect his views”.
In a recording posted by TMZ, a man it says is Donald Sterling is heard asking his girlfriend V. Stiviano not to broadcast her association with black people nor bring them to games
The celebrity website published the 10-minute audio recording on Friday.
The conversation is alleged to have taken place after V. Stiviano posted a photo of herself online with the basketball legend, Magic Johnson.
The man specifically mentions Magic Johnson on the recording, saying: “Don’t bring him to my games, OK?”
It was not clear how or when the conversation was recorded.
“We are in the process of conducting a full investigation into the audio recording obtained by TMZ,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
“The remarks heard on the recording are disturbing and offensive, but at this time we have no further information.”
Magic Johnson later responded on Twitter, saying: “I will never go to a Clippers game again as long as Donald Sterling is the owner.”
He also said the alleged comments were “a black eye for the NBA”.
In a joint statement later published by TMZ, Donald Sterling and the Clippers said: “We have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered.”
“We do know that the woman on the tape – who we believe released it to TMZ – is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family.
“Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life.”
The statement adds: “He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologises to anyone who might have been hurt by them.”
Donald Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981.
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Lanita Thomas, a former flight attendant on Magic Johnson’s private jet, is suing the NBA legend, claiming he fired her because he wanted a younger woman for the job.
In the lawsuit, filed earlier this week, Lanita Thomas, 45, is also alleging bizarre eating habits by Magic Johnson.
Lanita Thomas, who worked on Magic Johnson’s private plane from 2004, was axed last month – allegedly because she was seven minutes late for work.
She says she earned $75,000 a year and a $25,000 bonus as the only flight attendant aboard Magic Johnson’s jet, and it was part of her job to make sure the plane had newspapers, DVDs and “highly specific in-flight food and beverage choices”, according to ABC News.
Among the required foodstuffs were Red Vine liquorice, which Lanita Thomas was ordered to “regularly squeeze to make sure they were soft”, the suit says.
Lanita Thomas claims she was seven minutes late on the day she was fired, but only because she had been held up at a deli counter making sure she got the “two types of turkey” that Magic Johnson required for his sandwich.
The former flight attendant is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit, which charges wrongful termination and failure to provide proper breaks during her workdays.
Magic Johnson, 53, retired for the first time in 1991 after announcing he was HIV positive. He attempted to make two more comebacks to the NBA in 1992 and 1994.
Despite his personal trials, Magic Johnson – enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and voted three times the NBA’s most-valuable player – has enjoyed equally astonishing success both on and off the court.
Lanita Thomas is suing Magic Johnson, claiming he fired her because he wanted a younger woman for his private jet
Since his retirement, Magic Johnson has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex, as well as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, broadcaster and motivational speaker.
Magic Johnson was a part-owner of the L.A. Lakers for several years, but shifted his focus to a new sport in March, when he was part of the group that purchased the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team for a record $2 billion.
Magic Johnson’s bizarre demands
In her lawsuit Lanita Thomas claims Magic Johnson’s demands ranged from the relatively straightforward to the plain bizarre:
• He had “highly specific in-flight food and beverage choices”
• She had to regularly squeeze his Red Vine liquorice to ensure it was soft
• He liked his sandwiches to contain “two types of specific turkey”
• The plane had to be stocked with newspapers and DVDs
• He also failed to provide meal and rest breaks, pay her overtime, or keep accurate records of the hours she worked
