Buh-Bye

[Content Note: Racism.]

LA Clippers coach Donald Sterling, who was recorded making racist comments and has been the focus of widespread criticism since the audio was made public, has been sanctioned by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver:

Silver said the Clippers owner was fined $2.5 million and was banned from any association with the team for life. Silver added that he would urge other owners to force a sale of the team.

Silver said the lifetime ban would stand regardless of whether Sterling was ultimately forced to sell the team he's owned for 33 years. The commissioner said the NBA constitution allowed owners to eject Sterling if three-quarters of the owners voted in favor of such a move, and that he would commence the process of expulsion immediately.

"I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him," said Silver, who appeared visibly agitated throughout his remarks.

...Under the terms of Silver's punishment, the 80-year-old Sterling cannot attend any NBA games or practices and is not allowed to inhabit any Clippers facility or participate in any business or player personnel decision involving the team. Sterling is also barred from the NBA's Board of Governors meetings and other league activities, Silver said.

The commissioner said the $2.5-million fine was the maximum allowed under the league constitution and would be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Assn. will jointly select those organizations.

Wow. I have all the thoughts about this, but mostly I'm just really pleased to see rank racism addressed with the seriousness it deserves.

I hope the NBA will use this as an opportunity to examine less visible acts and practices of racism throughout the league, rather than instead using one attention-getting incident to pretend they're addressing racism comprehensively.