‘Shocked, hurt’ by racist tirade: Sacramento Kings owner.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive – the first and, thus far, only Indian-origin franchise owner in the National Basketball Association (NBA) – had some strong words to say about the current controversy regarding Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, including to force him to sell the franchise.
In an interview Wednesday on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning,” Ranadive said that he was appalled to learn about the racist comments Sterling made, which were released by TMZ this past weekend. Ranadive stated that he is in full support of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s decision to ban Sterling from league activities for life, fine him $2.5 million, and urge the other owners to force Sterling to sell the Clippers.
“What Adam did was fantastic,” said Ranadive. “I support him 100%. He sent a very clear, unequivocal and decisive message that we will have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior.”
Ranadive also lauded Silver for how quickly and decisively his decision came.
“I didn’t hesitate to speak out when this first happened, and I feel very, very confident the other owners will act according to Adam’s wishes,” Ranadive told ESPN later in the day.
Sterling is at the center of a maelstrom, after a recording leaked on Saturday in which he can be heard telling his girlfriend, a half-black/half-Latina model named V. Stiviano, not to publically associate with black people and not to bring them to Clippers games. The recordings, apparently authenticated by Commissioner Silver and the NBA, have prompted a huge outcry from fans, media, league insiders, and players themselves.
Ranadive, who said he was “shocked” and “hurt” by Sterling’s racist tirade, sided with those who want to completely remove Sterling from the league, which would require him to sell the team. That can only be done if two-thirds of the league’s 29 other owners vote to make that happen, which Ranadive expects will happen.
“I would be surprised if this was not a unanimous vote,” Ranadive told hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. “The [NBA] owners are amazing people, they’re color-blind, and I fully expect a unanimous vote.”
Ranadive later told ESPN that he would be willing to “lead the motion” to get a unanimous vote from NBA owners, taking it upon himself to make sure the league sends an emphatic message of zero-tolerance when it comes to racism.
Silver’s punishment for Sterling was monitored closely in the days leading up to Tuesday’s press conference, during which Silver meted out justice. After taking over for longtime Commissioner David Stern in February, the Sterling brouhaha was seen by most as Silver’s first true test on the job – by just about all accounts, Silver did exactly what people wanted.
Ranadive’s support for the Commissioner is only partly because he himself is a minority; the Kings owner, who took over the struggling franchise just last year, has been instrumental in promoting the NBA overseas, and bringing a diverse audience into the game. The Kings have also hosted two India-themed nights so far this season, and have plans for even more during the 2014-2015 schedule.
“[Basketball] is a global institution and it has values,” Ranadive told ESPN. “The NBA, and I call it NBA 2.0, is a global game, it’s a global brand. It has a universality to it.”
Meanwhile, the Clippers – the team that is, for all intents of purposes, battling through the eye of the storm – are currently in the playoffs, and lost a big game to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night in the direct aftermath of the Sterling controversy making headlines. On Tuesday night, however, they had an emotional win at their home stadium in Los Angeles, winning 113-103 and taking a 3-2 lead in the series.
Clippers point guard Chris Paul is also the President of the National Basketball Players Association. He and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, along with Commissioner Silver, have been at the forefront of the Sterling controversy since it broke.
Ranadive, like the rest of the NBA franchise owners, shied away from giving a firm timetable as to when he expects Sterling to be voted out of the league, stating that he would “defer” to Silver to make that call. The owners will likely come to vote in the next couple of weeks, forcing Sterling to sell the team shortly thereafter.