After an audio recording of racist remarks allegedly made by Sterling surfaced, "anger, frustration and calls for action echoed around the NBA" (AP, 4/27). Pacers F David West said of Sterling, "He has a history of being a bigot and a racist" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/27). Heat F LeBron James: "It's unacceptable in our league" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/27). Bobcats Owner & Chair Michael Jordan in a statement today said, "I'm obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views" (Bobcats). Even President Obama weighed in, saying, "When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t really have to do anything. You just let them talk" (NYTIMES.com, 4/27).
TNT's Charles Barkley: "This is the first test of Adam Silver. ... (Silver) has to suspend him and fine him immediately. We can't have an NBA owner discriminating against a league -- we're a black league" ("Inside The NBA," TNT, 4/26). ESPN's Bill Simmons: "They got to do the right thing. They got to figure out a way to get the team away from him" ("NBA Countdown," ESPN, 4/26). Magic Johnson, who was mentioned in the audio recording, said Silver "needs to come down hard. He shouldn't own the team anymore" ("NBA Countdown," ABC, 4/27). Warriors C Jermaine O'Neal said, "It’s Adam Silver’s first real, real task. Let’s see what his response is. I think this can really set the tone for how people view him" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 4/27).
