The NBA bans Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, for life from any association with the league after he was recorded making prejudiced comments about African-Americans.
The recording was between Sterling and of his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, whom appear to be arguing about her affiliation with African-Americans on Instagram and at Clippers games. A 2.5 million dollar fine was also reprimanded on him that will later be donated to numerous anti-discrimination groups.
“I think it was an acceptable punishment for Donald Sterling’s actions. It was a completely inappropriate gesture, and it is sad to see that racism still occurs in the sport industry,” freshman Nick Wotruba said.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reported the decision Tuesday at a news conference in New York. Sterling has owned the team for 33 years until now being forced to sell the team by the NBA Board of Governors. According to Forbes magazine, the Clippers are worth 575 million dollars, after being only worth 12 million when Sterling bought them.
“I have heard in the news that Magic Johnson has been a front runner for the new ownership position. He would fit well with the Clippers because of his L.A. ties,”sophomore Hasan Baig said.
The Clippers wore their warm-up uniform inside-out in wake of the recordings. If no repercussions were issued, the team was planning a boycott. That night, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Clippers 138-98, making it their worst playoff defeat in franchise history.
“This is a significant step forward for the organization and in the fight against racial discrimination. The Clippers are not the only team boycotting their warm-up uniforms; the Miami Heat has boycotted theirs as well . This demonstrates how the entire league feels about Sterling’s actions,” junior Cole Harris said.
Despite the controversy surrounding the organization, in game seven, the Clippers went onto defeat the Golden State Warriors.
“If the Clippers were able to overcome the Warriors, then I believe that they should be able to play with any team for the rest of the playoffs,” freshman Max Critchfield said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
