NBA officials set to address Clippers owner racial controversy

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - National Basketball Association officials on Tuesday will try to calm public outrage over racist comments attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, with a long suspension from the game one possible penalty he faces.

The league moved quickly to address the scandal, which broke over the weekend when Website TMZ.com published a 10-minute recording in which a voice said to be Sterling's criticised a friend for associating with "black people."

The news prompted a wave of outrage from athletes, coaches and fans of the league, which was a leader in racial integration in US sports.

President Barack Obama called the comments "incredibly offensive racist statements," while House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner described them as "reprehensible."

The crisis is the first major test of Adam Silver, who took over as NBA commissioner in February, succeeding David Stern.

Mr Silver has scheduled a news conference for 2 pm (1800 GMT) in New York.

The NBA's constitution, which is not a public document, is believed to give Mr Silver broad authority in deciding how to handle the issue, though his moves will need the support of the owners of the other 29 franchises.

"My guess is we're going to look at a severe suspension - he could be suspended indefinitely - and fined up to US$2.5 million (S$3.13 million)," said Robert Boland, chairman of the sports management department at New York University.

A lifetime suspension would effectively make Mr Sterling a silent owner of the team, no longer involved in daily management and no longer a governor of the league, with a caretaker named to run the organisation.

It would be far less likely for the NBA to try to strip Sterling of ownership, which would likely raise flags among the other owners, Mr Boland said.

The longest-tenured owner in the league, Mr Sterling bought Clippers in 1981 at a time when basketball was a far less commercially successful business than it is today, and the franchise could now be worth as much as US$800 million, Mr Boland estimated.

Team sponsors moved quicker than the league itself, with auto dealer CarMax Inc, Virgin America, State Farm, Kia Motors America, music mogul P. Diddy's water brand, AQUAHydrate, Red Bull and Yokohama Tire all saying they were stepping back from the team on Monday.

Mr Sterling, who made his fortune in real estate, has not issued any public statements since the comments were first reported late on Friday.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.