The national NAACP on Tuesday requested a meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to address the racist comments allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
“The NAACP is eager to meet with Commissioner Silver to discuss the influence and impact of racism in the National Basketball Association,” Roslyn Brock, chair of the NAACP Board of Directors, said in a statement. “The remarks attributed to Mr. Sterling remind us that racism and bigotry are still alive and well in all corners of society – including professional sports.”
The NAACP also said it would like to work with other organizations to address the alleged remarks and Sterling’s role in the NBA.
“The harm inflicted by these comments has damaged the players, the fans and the NBA brand. We empathize with the athletes who are being asked to perform under these most difficult of circumstances. Our heart goes out to them and their families. We look forward to working with the NBA commissioner to examine how we can address these critical issues in a comprehensive way,” Brock said in the statement.
The NBA will announce at 2 p.m. on Tuesday the results of its investigation of an audio recording that purportedly captured Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to his games.
The NBA Players Association would like Commissioner Silver to impose the “maximum sanctions” on Sterling for his comments.
