Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling received a huge fine and was banned from the NBA after anti-black comments he made came to light.
Find out more about the businessman’s life and how much he was fined.
Who is Donald Sterling?
Donald Sterling used to be the owner of NBA team Los Angeles Clippers.
He was born Donald Tokowitz in ChicagoIL, in 1934, to his parents Susan and Mickey.
His family moved to Los Angeles when he was 2 years old.
Sterling married Shelley Stein in 1955 and they had three children together.
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He and his wife later changed their surname to Sterling after claiming that people found his name difficult to pronounce.
The businessman began his career as a divorce and personal injury lawyer before entering the real estate market in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
Sterling then purchased the NBA team Los Angeles Clippers in 1981, promising to build the team and make it more successful.
In 2014, he was banned for life by the league and given a huge fine, which led to him selling the team.
Why was Donald Sterling banned from NBA games?
Donald Sterling was banned after racist comments he made to his then-lover came to light.
A recording came out of a conversation he had with V. Stiviano.
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In the clip he said: “It really bothers me that you want to publicize that you are having relationships with black people.”
He asked that Stiviano – who is also African-American – not post photos with black people on Instagram or invite them to Clippers games.
The scandal is the subject of the new FX miniseries Clipped, which is released weekly on Hulu.
Sterling is played by an American actor Ed O’Neill At the show.
How much was Donald Sterling fined?
The NBA fined Donald Sterling the maximum amount it could after his comments.
He was forced to pay $2.5 million – the harshest penalty ever handed down by the league and one of the largest punishments ever handed down to a professional club owner.
The decision to impose such a fine was welcomed by several NBA players.
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: “”We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views.
“They simply have no place in the NBA.”
Where is Donald Sterling now?
Despite the fine, Donald Sterling is still incredibly rich.
He settled his lawsuit against the NBA in 2016.
It is reported that he is now worth over $2 billion following the sale of the Clippers.
He remains active in the real estate market in Los Angeles and is often seen out and about Malibu with his wife Shelley.
They have been married for almost seventy years, but he was seen accompanied by another mystery woman while his wife was traveling separately.
Sterling filed for divorce from his wife in 2015, but it was revealed the following year that they had resolved their differences and would not pursue it further.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
