S. Samuel
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is still avoiding mass media but has finally broken his silence on the now-infamous leaked audio recording scandal and connection to girlfriend V. Stiviano.
According to reports, Sterling has admitted he wished things turned out differently.
Donald Sterling has finally broken his silence … telling an L.A. magazine, “I wish I had just paid her off.” The disgraced L.A. Clippers owner made the comment about V. Stiviano to DuJour Magazine. The mag claims Sterling is not done talking — and has already lined up interviews with Barbara Walters and the NBA. Though it’s unclear when he plans to talk to them. (TMZ)
Sterling’s girlfriend has also come forward and addressed the situation.
In an exclusive with ABC’s Barbara Walters on Friday, she said Sterling is hurting after the scandal that turned him into a sports pariah. “I think he feels very alone. Not truly supported by those around him,” Stiviano, 31, said. “Tormented. Emotionally traumatized.” But, she told Walters, this is not the first time they’ve discussed race. “There’s been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had conversations just like this one,” she said. “Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There’s a number of other hours that the world doesn’t know.” (CNN)
To make matters more complicated, reports claim he is battling cancer.
Embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is fighting prostate cancer, Fox News confirms. “They thought he would die two years ago,” an unnamed source told the New York Post. “People have been predicting his imminent demise. I’m sure he has the best…drugs money can buy.” (Fox News)
The NBA announced a lifetime ban against the ousted owner early Tuesday.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued sweeping sanctions against Donald Sterling on Tuesday morning in response to controversial remarks about blacks purportedly made by Sterling. Silver said the Clippers owner was banned from any association with the team for life and fined $2.5 million. Silver added that he would urge other owners to force a sale of the team. (Los Angeles Times)
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