V. Stiviano, the woman who recorded Los Angeles Clippers owner
Donald Sterling making racist remarks, said she does not
believe Sterling is truly a racist.
Speaking with ABC’s Barbara Walters on Friday, Stiviano, who described herself as Sterling’s personal assistant and “silly rabbit,” said that when the Clippers owner asked her not to take pictures with black people on Instagram it “was not the first time” the two had talked about race.
“There’s been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had conversations just like this one,” she told Walters. “Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There’s a number of other hours that the world doesn’t know.”
Regardless, Stiviano said she doesn’t believe Sterling is actually a racist.
“I think Mr. Sterling is from a different generation than I am. I think he was brought up to believe these things … segregation, whites and blacks,” she said. “But through his actions he’s shown that he’s not a racist. He’s shown to be a very generous and kind man.”
Stiviano told Walters that Sterling feels “confused,” “tormented” and “emotionally traumatized” by the fallout from his remarks. She said that she believes the Clippers owner should apologize, but “only God knows” whether he will make a public apology.
Sterling declined to speak with Walters and has been mostly silent since he was banned for life from the NBA, but on Friday the CEO of New York City-based luxury magazine DuJour claimed that Sterling told him that he wished he had “paid [Stiviano] off.” Stiviano’s attorney maintains that a friend leaked the recording of Sterling without his client’s permission.
Watch below, courtesy of ABC News:
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Image via ABC News.
