The NBA has announced that it is investigating the racist comments made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to his girlfriend V. Stiviano. The backlash comes after TMZ released a nine minute tape of Sterling telling his girlfriend among other things that he does not want her to bring blacks to his games including Magic Johnson.

Sterlings exact words as it relates to Johnson: “Admire him, bring him here, feed him, **** him I don’t care. You can do anything. But don’t put him on an Instagram for the world to see, and don’t bring him to my games”.

In his remarks, he says that he is “Part of a culture” “People feel certain things. Hispanics feel certain things towards Blacks. Blacks feel certain things toward other groups. It has been that way historically, and it will always be that way.”

The sports world reacts

Magic Johnson who may be looking to become an NBA owner in the future responded to Sterling via twitter saying that “@cjbycookie (his wife) and I will never go to see a Clippers game again as long as Donald Sterling is the owner.” And that Sterlings comments are a “Black eye to the NBA.”

Other current and former players have echoed Johnson sentiments and the Clipper players are angry, as well. Says ESPN’s Stephan A. Smith on the Clipper players: “Their furious” and “Players were considering not playing” “If this were something of a gay slur” “You would see people taking a stand”. Stephan A. also intimated that there may more Sterling tapes set to be release in a few days.

Sterling Not In Trouble With Blacks For The First Time

One of the first to respond publically to Sterlings tape was former Clippers star player Baron Davis who tweeted. “That’s the way it is…He is honest about what he believes in..Been going on for a long time”

In the past Sterling was sued by former Clippers executive Elgin Baylor who made claims that he was fired by the Clippers organization for his age and race. Elgin claimed at the time that Sterling was racist and made racist remarks during his tenure with the team.

In 2009 Donald Sterling paid a 2.9 Million dollar settlement in a housing discrimination case which was, at the time, the largest settlement of its kind in history. The claim? That Sterling discriminated against Black and Hispanic tenants.

The bottom line for men like Donald Sterling is this. He has the mentality of a slave master in that he does not mind making money off of Blacks but clearly does not see Blacks as an equal people. 86 percent of the Clipper roster is black. Doc Rivers, who coaches and runs the team is black Chris Paul, the teams star player is black but as Sterling said to his half Black half Mexican girlfriend: You can have them around, but you do not need to associate with them publically.

I rarely side with Jesse Jackson for reasons that aren’t relevant to this story but I 100 percent agree with what he said to ESPN today. “If we’re just going from picking cotton balls to picking basketballs without the dignity of a relationship between and owner then we are not making progress”. It’s not about money but dignity. “Blacks should not go to his games and whites who see Blacks as equals should not got to his games.”