NBA mulls Sterling’s fate as sponsors abandon Clippers

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon to make an announcement regarding its investigation into allegations that Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, made racist comments about African-Americans in a recorded conversation with a woman.

Sterling’s alleged remarks — which, among other things, urged the woman to not bring black people to his team's games — have ignited a fury of reaction from former and current players and led to backlash from advertisers, who have begun suspending or severing ties with the team.

Parts of their purported conversation were released over the weekend by the entertainment website TMZ and sports website Deadspin, which identified the woman on the recording as Sterling’s former girlfriend V. Stiviano. Her credibility has been called into question by Clippers president Andy Roeser, who has said she is "the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million." 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver vowed to “get to the bottom” of the situation “as quickly as possible” during a news conference on Saturday, but the extent to which the association can take punitive action against the 80-year-old billionaire may be limited.

The audio recordings have not yet been independently authenticated, but the NBA Players Association (NBAPA) has already stated that there should be "zero tolerance" with regard to such comments.

"If what has been alleged and stated is authentic, then there must be sanctions that make it clear that the NBA family will have zero tolerance for such conduct today, tomorrow or ever," Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who also serves as a special adviser to the NBAPA, told reporters on Sunday.

"We are collectively one family and I am confident that this family will speak together in one voice. There's absolutely no place in the NBA family for ignorance, intolerance [and] reprehensible comments that are unacceptable and not fitting for what the league is all about," Johnson added.

Johnson, a former NBA player, told CBS on Monday that players want the league to hand down a fine, suspension and even take action beyond that.

"What the players feel very strongly is that they want to make sure that the most severe sanctions that are allowable under the NBA guidelines are ... taking place," he told the network.

But Robert Boland, chair of the sports management program at New York University, told Al Jazeera that the disciplinary options available to Commissioner Silver in this case are "somewhat limited."

"I think the NBA needs to proceed very carefully because the owners really do hire the commissioner, manage the sport," Boland said. "I think Adam Silver is acting very appropriately. They are in an investigation; they are trying to determine that these statements are indeed authentic. They are private statements on some level, so maybe the capacity of the commissioner or the other owners to limit this are somewhat limited."

Former NBA star Magic Johnson, who was the subject of some of the disparaging comments allegedly made by Sterling, said Sunday that Sterling — who made his fortune as a real estate mogul — should no longer be the owner of the Clippers. 

"He shouldn't own a team anymore and he should stand up and say 'I don't want to own a team anymore,' especially when you have African-Americans renting his apartments, coming to the games, playing for him and coaching for him," he said on a playoff pregame show broadcast on ABC. "This is bad for everybody, it's bad for America and so I'm really upset about it."

Other prominent figures have also weighed in — including NBA star LeBron James, who said there was "no room for [such comments] in our game." Even President Barack Obama shared his thoughts on the issue, calling the comments "incredibly offensive" and "racist."

While it’s possible that Sterling could lose ownership of the team, Boland said legal issues would complicate the matter.

"The other NBA owners could probably put together a deal that bought him out at a profit, but I think that’s the limitation. Sterling would have the right to challenge any concerted action of the other owners in antitrust court that would be a powerful and possible winning argument for him," he said.

The NBA declined to discuss with Al Jazeera what punitive measures, if any, could be taken against team owners. However, the association has fined owners in the past.

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison was fined $500,000 in 2011 for Twitter comments about the association’s labor dispute and lockout, while Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban was fined the same amount in 2001 for criticizing officials.

Furthermore, punishment in response to racially charged comments made by team owners is not unprecedented. The former majority owner of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds, Marge Schott, was twice suspended by baseball for using racial and ethnic slurs in the 90’s.  

And while word on punishment from the NBA will have to wait until Tuesday, the comments have already resulted in major financial fallout for the Clippers brand. CarMax, a used car retailer and long-term sponsor of the team, dropped its sponsorship of the team on Monday.

"The statements attributed to the Clippers' owner directly conflict with our culture of respect," the company said in a statement on Twitter.

Airline Virgin America also confirmed to Al Jazeera that it was ending its sponsorship of the team, with a spokesperson saying: "While we continue to support the fans and the players, Virgin America has made the decision to end its sponsorship of the L.A. Clippers."

Telling Al Jazeera that Sterling's alleged comments were "offensive and reprehensible," Kia Motors America said it was taking similar action by suspending its sponsorship of the Clippers. State Farm insurance said that it too would be "taking a pause" in its relationship with the team, as did energy drink company Red Bull.

R&B singer Tank, who was slated to sing the national anthem before Game 5 of the Clippers series against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, cancelled his performance following Sterling’s alleged remarks.

With Al Jazeera and wire services