"Comments that he made about black people" - Adam Silver goes in-depth about decision to ban $4 billion worth racist former NBA team owner
Early in Adam Silver's tenure as NBA commissioner, he dealt with one of the biggest scandals in NBA history. At the time, LA Clippers billionaire owner Donald Sterling was caught on camera making several racist remarks. The Commons included the use of the N-word, sparking widespread controversy around the league that resulted in Silver handing Sterling a lifetime ban.
With the league's constitution supporting Silver's indefinite ban on Sterling, it was clear that Silver had no time for nonsense. Although some found the punishment harsh, it was supported by many of the league owners who had no problem with the harsh sanctions levied against the owner.
Since then, Adam Silver has continued to take a no-nonsense approach to handling drama, most recently suspending Ja Morant for 25 games for offseason conduct. While the Donald Sterling situation has been water under the bridge for the league, Silver spoke about the situation on The Old Man & The Three.
As he explained, his decision to ban Donald Sterling for life wasn't the result of feeling as though he had to take harsh action for fear of a boycott from players. He recalled the driving force behind his decision, stating:
"I was definitely influenced by what I understood was the player reaction in a league that's 80% African-American to comments that he made about black people in particular."
Adam Silver's reaction to hearing infamous Donald Sterling tape
At the time of the Donald Sterling controversy, Adam Silver was just a couple of months into his tenure as NBA commissioner. In the eyes of many fans, how he responded to the situation would set the tone for the rest of his tenure as commissioner.
While Adam Silver knew that harsh action had to be taken, there is a provision in the NBA constitution that prevents him from forcing Sterling to sell the team. As a result, the league would have essentially had to put the embattled owner on trial in front of his fellow owners in order to force him to sell the team.
Fortunately for Adam Silver and the league, rather than go through a lengthy process, Sterling's wife sold the team. As Silver recalled, however, the shock from when he first heard the tape has stuck with him to this day.
"I heard that tape for the first time on a Saturday morning, I think it had been posted by TMZ literally in the middle of the night, and I banned Sterling for life by Tuesday day ... I had the power as the commissioner to ban him for life but I didn't have the power unilaterally to take away his franchise."
The LA Clippers are now owned by Steve Ballmer, who, in addition to being beloved by the players, is also an incredibly engaged owner. Fans can often see Ballmer sitting courtside at Clippers games, fully immersed.