NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced today that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned from the league for life and fined $2.5 million for his racist remarks.
“The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful,” Silver said during a press conference. “We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views. They simply have no place in the NBA.”
Sterling’s ban includes attending any NBA games and practices. The billionaire is also barred from any Clippers office or facility and from participating in any of the team’s business decisions.
The money from his $2.5 million fine, the maximum amount allowed by the NBA Constitution, will be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts.
Commissioner Silver added that he would also urge the league’s board of governors to force the billionaire to sell the team.