The biggest story of this year's NBA playoffs has had little to do with the actual games themselves. In case you haven't been following the story, here is a brief outline of the events.
TMZ obtained a recording of Clippers Owner Donald Sterling criticizing posts on his “girlfriend” Vanessa Stiviano's Instagram account. The posts he criticized were of Stiviano appearing publicly at Clippers games with Magic Johnson and members of other minority groups. The comments Sterling made about Johnson, African Americans, and other minorities in general were disturbing and racist.
Following the release of these tapes, Sterling came under harsh scrutiny from the media and the public. Stories resurfaced about a 2009 case in which Sterling actually had to settle a $2.75 million dollar settlement against allegations he discriminated in housing against Blacks, Latinos and families with children. The settlement was the largest ever obtained by the Justice Department in a housing discrimination case. Many people came out and said they were not surprised about the comments made, knowing Sterlings past, such as former player Baron Davis and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. Sterling's estranged wife, Rochelle Sterling, recently filed suit against Stiviano, claiming that she embezzled $1.8 million of communal property, including two Bentleys, a Ferrari, and a Range Rover.
The NBA decided that it would investigate the matter and resolve it in a timely fashion. The Clippers players decided to protest their owner by wearing their warm up jerseys inside out before Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors. On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed out Sterling's punishment: a $2.5 million dollar fine and a lifetime ban from the NBA. Silver then asked the other 29 NBA owners to force Sterling into selling the Clippers.
Let's break it all down:
• There is absolutely no room for Sterling in the NBA. I understand that racism has, and will continue to exist in our society, however Sterling's remarks are ignorant and unjustified. The NBA has been filled with roughly 75% African American players over the last two decades. It's tough to fathom how African American players and coaches could go to work every day for a man who despises them, even if it is for a paycheck. I don't care if he owned a team as white as the Utah Jazz, his comments are wrong and he got what he deserved.
• Kanye West would have some choice words for Vivian Stiviano. This woman who taped Sterling is also guilty of a felony. California is a 2 party state, so both parties must give consent before being taped. She easily could end up in some serious trouble from this whole situation as well.
• This was new commissioner Adam Silver's first major test on the job. He took over for David Stern shortly before the All-Star break in February and this was the perfect opportunity for him to a**ert his power and deliver justice. Silver flexed his muscles and showed players, owners, and fans that he is not afraid to lay down the hammer.
• Another aspect of this controversy that wasn't given much media attention was a second recording released by Deadspin. This recording is of Sterling trying to justify his racist beliefs using an international example. In the second tape, Sterling says that in Israel “the blacks are treated just like dogs.” Having been to Israel multiple times, as well as having an immediate family member there, I can personally refute this claim. Sterling, commissioner Adam Silver, and many other NBA owners are Jewish. If the first tape of Sterling released already directly offended his African American players and coaches, the second tape released could be equally offensive to his Ownership peers and the Commissioner.
The situation involving Donald Sterling just reiterated, to me, the connection that Basketball and hip-hop have had. Here's where we should thank players like Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal and the next wave of superstars following Jordan's retirement. As this new generation became the face of the league, hip-hop culture started to intertwine more and more with basketball, & the NBA culture began to mirror that of Hip Hop. Following the Pistons-Pacers Brawl in 2004, Commissioner David Stern decided he needed to clean up the league's image. He implemented certain policies, such as a dress code banning many articles of clothing a**ociated with hip-hop culture.
However, the bind between hip-hop and the NBA continued to grow stronger. Plenty of NBA players such as Iverson, Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson as well as many others have decided to try their hand at rapping. Rappers decided to try their hand in the NBA as well; Jay-Z was instrumental in bringing the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn and he, then, created Roc Nation Sports Agency. Drake is currently employed by the Toronto Raptors as an “amba**ador”. The cultural ties between the two are already so strong and will only continue to grow. The relationship is, in fact, so strong that beef actually exists between an NBA player and a rapper, check out the Lil B & Kevin Durant beef.
That's why it came as no surprise when plenty of rappers spoke out against Sterling almost immediately. Meek Mill had some great tweets, and Snoop Dogg had some choice words for Sterling.
The reaction from Adam Silver was met with widespread approval and showed that he had and the NBA have a zero tolerance policy for racism. Moving forward it appears that the way he handled this situation will also strengthen his relationship from those within the Hip-Hop community, who applauded his decisions. Perhaps in future situations this relationship will make both parties more sympathetic towards each other, and likely to allow the inevitable cross cultural exchanges that previous generations tried to road block.