Magic Johnson responded to Donald Sterling in an exclusive interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, saying the banned Clippers Owner is "delusional" and "in another world." Johnson "mounted a robust defense of his integrity and his role as a leader of the black community" (L.A. TIMES, 5/14). Johnson: "He's trying to hold onto his team, and it's not going to happen. ... He wants us (African-Americans) to play for him, but he doesn't want us in the stands. Now he is delusional. Not only don't the Clippers still love him, the other players in the NBA don't love him. He can't buy his way out of this one." Johnson was the "epitome of calm" while speaking to Cooper. He concluded the interview by saying, "I am tired of talking about Donald" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/13).

Other highlights of the interview include:
Johnson: "Adam Silver, our commissioner of the NBA, did a wonderful job, of banning him for life. Now the Board of Governors got to do their job."
Cooper: "Are you interested in the Clippers? I mean, there's a lot of reports that you would be interested in being owner or part owner."
Johnson: "Well, you know, we have to wait. That's going to be eight months to a year to see if it ever hits the market. But, for me, if it comes out, and it's for sale, and my Guggenheim Partners and I say, OK, we want to take a look at it and we want to buy it, of course we will make a run for it." 

Watch clips of the interview here.

L.A. TIMES P1 header: "Johnson Takes The High Road."

This morning's editions of "CBS This Morning" and NBC's "Today" both aired reports on Johnson's interview in the first 10 minutes of their broadcasts. There was no report on Sterling or Johnson in the first hour of ABC's "GMA" (THE DAILY).

See today's Laugh Track for late-night talk shows' take on the issue.

The USTA today will unveil plans for a new $60M training and tournament center at Florida's Lake Nona that officials said will become the "new home of American tennis" by the end of '16. The facility will have "more than 100 courts – about double the playing space of a Mobile, Ala., tennis facility now considered the nation's largest." The 63-acre project will house the USTA's Community Tennis and Player Development divisions, and it will become the home of the Univ. of Central Florida varsity tennis program (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 5/14).

Also today, the Int'l Tennis HOF in Newport, R.I., will break ground on the first phase of a $15.7M expansion and upgrade plan. The project will increase the campus size by approximately one acre and result in changes to the streetscape of Newport's Memorial Boulevard (Int'l Tennis HOF).

Sources said that the Pistons have "reached an agreement in principle with Stan Van Gundy to make him their new coach and president of basketball operations," with a formal announcement expected today. Sources said that Van Gundy and the Pistons "have verbally agreed to a five-year pact" worth an estimated $35M. The Pistons "have been looking for their own new face of basketball operations for the first time in more than a decade" after Joe Dumars left his post in April (ESPN.com, 5/13).

MLB today will begin a two-day quarterly owners meeting in N.Y. No major action items are expected, but the session will include an operational review of the newly expanded instant replay system. During the first month of the season, replay was used 191 times, with 85 calls overturned, 53 standing, 50 confirmed and three uses for record-keeping, with an average review time of 2:06. The session will also be the first since MLBAM President & CEO Bob Bowman last month gained oversight of MLB Network in addition to the league’s digital operations. Bowman will lead a report to owners of both media assets. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig arrived in N.Y. early, as he was feted last night at a gala in his honor held by the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Puma reported a Q1 "dip in revenues," with "Asia hit particularly hard." The company yesterday said that '14 "will be a year of transition for the sportswear company as it attempts to reposition itself among its peers" after "admitting earlier this year that it had a 'lack of brand heat.'" Global sales were down 7% compared to the year-ago period. Puma is "under pressure from its controlling shareholder, Paris-based Kering, to turnround its sporting brand after a foray into lifestyle products in recent years proved unsuccessful" (FT.com, 5/14).

The Hartford Marathon today will reveal that it has "lined up another corporate title sponsor" to replace ING, which exited its deal after sponsoring its last race seven months ago. The sponsor "isn't Cigna, which seemed to be an obvious choice." In addition, the WTA New Haven Open, bought by the state last year, is reportedly "nearing a decision on its own title sponsor with negotiations underway." A source said that the list was "recently narrowed from three companies, which included two from the Hartford area" (COURANT.com, 5/13).

The upfront week continues today with events for Adult Swim, CBS, ESPN Deportes, Fox Hispanic Media, NCM Media Networks, TBS and TNT (NYTIMES.com, 5/13).

A “media swarm” descended upon Rams Park yesterday for DE Michael Sam’s introductory press conference. Crews from CNN, ESPN, FS1, NBC Nightly News, NFL Network and the Oprah Winfrey Network were in attendance (K.C. STAR, 5/14).
 
NFL team owners will discuss “expanding the playoff field when they meet next week in Atlanta, and it is possible but unlikely that a formal vote on the issue will be taken then” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/13).

A source said that the ongoing renegotiation of the NFL drug policy will "significantly increase the threshold for a positive marijuana test and reduce the punishments for violations involving the drug" (ESPN.com, 5/13).

The PGA Tour announced that it will hold a Web.com Tour event at Colombia’s TPC Cartagena at Karibana next year. The resort is the tour’s first TPC property in South America (PGA Tour).

The CFL Players Association is "recommending its members proceed with a strike vote" ahead of the May 30 expiration of the league's current CBA (THEGLOBEANDMAIL.com, 5/13).

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg and Mets 1B Lucas Duda "both came down with food poisoning over the weekend at Citi Field" and both believe "a hamburger from Shake Shack was the cause." Sandberg reportedly "lost 6 pounds in two days" and Duda had to be hospitalized (ESPNNY.com, 5/14).

The AHL Grand Rapids Griffins announced a three-year TV broadcast agreement with Michigan Entertainment Sports, which will televise a minimum of 40 Griffins games during each of the next three seasons (Griffins).

The Big East yesterday announced that "its baseball tournament will return to Brooklyn for the first time" since '07 with games played May 22-25 at Coney Island's MCU Park (AP, 5/14).

Conference USA has selected the Univ. of Alabama-Birmingham to host its men's and women's basketball tournaments next year. The tournaments are slated for March 11-14 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center and UAB's Bartow Arena (Conference USA).

Paciolan announced that it has renewed its 28-year partnership with James Madison Univ. (Paciolan).

"Thank God for you guys for making this all a big deal, because it's going to make me an even better player than I am now" – Rams DE Michael Sam, during his introductory press conference, on trying to become the first openly gay man to play in the NFL (USA TODAY, 5/14).

“Who are we kidding? He can’t afford it. That Forbes report that he’s worth $3 billion – that’s a greater mythology than the one that the USFL won the lawsuit, which he continues to propagate” – Mandalay Sports Media Founder & co-Chair Mike Tollin, on Donald Trump's reported interest in buying the Bills (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 5/13).

The 11:00pm ET edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter" led with Rangers-Penguins Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series, followed by Wizards-Pacers and the Rams introducing their '14 NFL Draft class, including Michael Sam. Magic Johnson's response to Donald Sterling's comments about him on CNN aired about 24 minutes into the broadcast. The 11:00pm ET edition of "Fox Sports Live" led with Clippers-Thunder, followed by Wizards-Pacers and Johnson responding to Sterling. The Rangers-Penguins highlights aired about 12 minutes into their telecast.

ESPN's Bram Weinstein, filling in for Keith Olbermann on ESPN2's "Olbermann" last night, did not air a "world's worst" persons in sports segment. Weinstein noted Olbermann was "on assignment."

Bleacher Report's Diane Pucin: “Amgen Tour of California moved from Feb to May after getting snowed out 1 day. Last couple of years? Riders facing 100-plus temps. #badmojo.”

TSN’s Darren Dreger: “Seattle seems to have great NHL potential, but it doesn't sound like there will be much progress unless an NBA partner materializes.”

Orlando Sentinel’s George Diaz: “Surprised Anderson Cooper didn't ask Donald Sterling or Magic about the missing plane #cnnproblems.”

Bleacher Report’s Dan Levy: “Going thru @andersoncooper transcripts for an article & when I see STERLING talk to COOPER I think this is the oddest Mad Men episode yet….And they had an episode where STERLING was in black face. This is still weirder.”

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

The Utah State athletic department will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening for the $9.7M, 32,000-square-foot Wayne Estes Center, the school’s basketball practice center and volleyball competition venue.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Monarchs.”

“Two teen Hashemite cousins officially took the thrones of their respective countries May 2, 1953: Faisal of Iraq and him.”

Comedy Central's Jon Stewart said, "Last night, we told you about the comments L.A. Clippers Owner turned-racist-outcast Donald Sterling made about Magic Johnson to Anderson Cooper. But it turns out it was just night one of the mini-series of knuckleheadedness that is Anderson Cooper's Donald Sterling interview. Let's look at night two in our new segment, 'Okay, You Go Bye Now.' When we last left him, Donald Sterling was blaming his girlfriend and Magic Johnson for somehow making him spout racist nonsense." After the broadcast aired a clip of Sterling's interview where he commented about Johnson and his battle with HIV, Stewart noted, "Technically, obviously Magic Johnson has 'those HIV' and not 'those AIDS.' Jesus Christ, am I seriously fact-checking an 80-year-old billionaire lunatic?" ("The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central, 5/13).

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon: “Donald Sterling sat down for an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN to try and dig himself out of the scandal. I think he might have actually made things worse.” A clip of Sterling’s interview was aired. Fallon said, “Please stop talking. At one point I think maybe Sterling forgot who he was talking to.” Fallon said of the clip where Sterling asked Cooper if he ever liked a girl or if he was ever jealous of a girl being with other guys: “Then Anderson said, ‘If you replace the word girl with guy and guy with younger, hotter guy then, yes, I would be jealous’" (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 5/13).

CBS’ David Letterman: “(Donald Sterling) was interviewed on Anderson Cooper last night. … I love it when a guy goes out to apologize and digs the hole even deeper. … He’s got a ranch outside of Los Angeles, beautiful place. It’s the ‘Ponderacist.’” During Letterman’s monologue, the broadcast aired a CNN "report" detailing the back story of Rams DE Michael Sam. The report's announcer said, “According to a new report, the first openly gay NFL draft pick, Michael Sam, has turned the entire St. Louis Rams roster gay. Everyone in St. Louis is now also gay. Missouri gay, everyone in America gay, including you, you're gay. Everyone on Earth, gay, astronauts still straight, once the astronauts land, gay. This is CNN.” Letterman said, “I don’t know what’s going on anymore” (“Late Show,” CBS, 5/13).

“Who is King Hussein of Jordan?”