LeBron James, the polarizing face of the NBA, realizes that the process of getting the Sterlings out of the NBA is a lengthy one, but feels that it needs to happen. LeBron James said on Sunday that if Sterling is voted out of the NBA, which is likely to happen, that nobody in the Sterling family should be allowed to take the team over.
Donald Sterling has already been banned for life by commissioner Adam Silver. NBA spokesperson Mike Bass reaffirmed Silver’s position in a statement.
“Under the NBA constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a three-quarter vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well,” Bass said. “It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here. These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”
Shelly Sterling, Donald’s ex-wife, intends to keep half of the team’s ownership.
LeBron James spoke briefly regarding the horrible situation during practice before Game 4 against Brooklyn this evening.
As players, we want what’s right and we don’t feel like no one in his family should be able to own the team.
Mrs. Sterling has made it plainly clear that she will fight for ownership by trying to appeal to the owner’s wives.
LeBron James was one of the first, and loudest voices saying that there is no place for actions and comments like those that Donald Sterling made in the NBA.
“At the end of the day, this is going to be a long litigation when it comes to that,” LeBron James said. “This guy who’s owned the team since the `80s is not going to just give the team up in a day. So we understand it’s going to be long, but we want what’s right.”
Donald Sterling will speak in a formal interview for the first time since the incident on CNN with their Anderson Cooper. While only clips of the interview have been released so far, it seems that Donald Sterling is apologetic for the whole situation and is making a plea to keep the Clippers, a team he has owned for over 35 years as the longest tenured team owner in the NBA.
LeBron James scored 28 points in the Game 3 Heat loss of the NBA Semifinals against the Brooklyn Nets. While LeBron James put together another fantastic game, his focus is much needed on gaining another NBA Championship.
Whether you love LeBron James or hate LeBron James, his statements hold much weight with those who run the league.
