Former NBA All-Star and current Sacramento, Calif. Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA should serve as an example to “every bigot in this country.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are a professional basketball player worth millions of dollars, or a man or woman who works hard for their family,” Johnson said in an NBA Players Association press conference. “There will be zero tolerance for institutional racism, no matter how rich or powerful.”
“I want to also say this is a very stark reminder that we still have a lot of work to do,” he later added. “Yes, we have an African-American president. Yes, justice happened in a swift manner and forceful, yes, that occurred today. But these events remind all of us that hatred and bigotry are far from over. I hope that every bigot in this country sees what happened to Mr. Sterling and recognizes that if he can fall, so can you.”
