Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ‘Thrilled’ With NBA Decision To Ban Sterling

Hall of Famer and former Milwaukee Bucks' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves to the crowd during an NBA basketball game between the Bucks and the Utah Jazz, Monday, March 3, 2014, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Tom Lynn)
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Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday praised NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s decision to ban Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for his racist comments.

“I’m just thrilled with what Commissioner Silver did. He got on the case immediately and got to the bottom of whatever mysteries that there were involved in this, and figured out what the truth was and his actions and focus were so on the mark. It was unbelievable,” he said in a press conference following the NBA’s announcement.

“I think most of the players I’ve spoken to just since the press conference feel the same way, and we’re looking forward to some very positive changes that will make this city an even more wonderful place than it already is.”

On Monday, Abdul-Jabbar suggested in a blog post for Time that Sterling’s racist rant was at least partially his girlfriend’s fault.

“And now the poor guy’s girlfriend (undoubtedly ex-girlfriend now) is on tape cajoling him into revealing his racism,” he wrote. “Man, what a winding road she led him down to get all of that out. She was like a sexy nanny playing ‘pin the fried chicken on the Sambo.’ She blindfolded him and spun him around until he was just blathering all sorts of incoherent racist sound bites that had the news media peeing themselves with glee.”

He also complained that the media was just now covering Sterling’s racism.

“What bothers me about this whole Donald Sterling affair isn’t just his racism. I’m bothered that everyone acts as if it’s a huge surprise,” he wrote.

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