NBA Owner To Girlfriend: Don’t Bring Black People To My Games

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2010 file photo, Los Angeles Clippers team owner Donald Sterling watches his team play in Los Angeles. A jury has returned a $17.3 million verdict against Sterling in a lawsuit by an actress w... FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2010 file photo, Los Angeles Clippers team owner Donald Sterling watches his team play in Los Angeles. A jury has returned a $17.3 million verdict against Sterling in a lawsuit by an actress who lost most of her belongings in a fire at a West Hollywood apartment building he owns. City News Service says the jury awarded $15 million in punitive damages to Robyn Cohen on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2012, in her breach-of-contract and emotional distress lawsuit. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) MORE LESS
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Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, told his girlfriend during a recorded argument that he did not want her bringing black people to his basketball games, according to audio obtained and put online Friday by TMZ.

According to TMZ, the argument took place on April 9, after Sterling’s girlfriend, V. Stiviano, posted a photograph on Instagram of her posing with NBA legend Magic Johnson. On the tape, Sterling also told Stiviano not to bring Johnson to games.

“You can sleep with [black people],” Sterline says on the tape. “You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.”

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” Sterling also says. “Do you have to?”

In the recording, Stiviano says she herself is “black and Mexican… whether you like it or not.”

According to TMZ, Sterling has previously been sued by former Clippers executive Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination, although the suit was unsuccessful.

In response to the audio tape, Johnson told TMZ it was “a shame that Donald Sterling feels that way about African-Americans.”

“He has a team full of amazing African-American basketball players that are working to bring a championship to Clippers fans,” Johnson said. “The Clippers also have a strong minority fan base.”

You can listen to the tape here.

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