Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

NAACP won't honor Clippers' Sterling

Due to alleged racist remarks, team owner Donald Sterling won’t receive another lifetime achievement award from the organization.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his wife, Rochelle. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his wife, Rochelle. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)Read more
    by TOM MAHON
    Published 

THE TWEET WAS short, and anything but sweet.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling was to receive an award on May 15 as part of the 100th anniversary of the LA chapter of the NAACP. With Rev. Al Sharpton in attendance, no less.

But there has been a change of plans in light of Sterling's alleged racist comments on an audio tape released by TMZ.

Thus, yesterday's tweet:"#DonaldSterling will not be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the LA Branch of the NAACP."

It would have been Sterling's second lifetime achievement award from the organization.

The first came in May of 2009 when he was honored by the LA chapter for donating thousands of Clippers tickets to area youth.

Coincidentally, he received that award just weeks after ex-Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor - who was dismissed at 76 after 22 years - sued Sterling for wrongful termination and discrimination on the basis of age and race.

At the time, the NAACP said it went through with the award because it had agreed to honor Sterling before Baylor filed the suit - which Sterling ended up winning 2 years later.

Yesterday, Lorraine Miller, the NAACP's interim president and chief executive, addressed the situation on the organization's website:

"Let me make it clear, the NAACP will not be honoring Mr. Sterling at the upcoming Los Angeles branch event," she said in a statement. "And we have strongly urged our Los Angeles unit to take the necessary steps to rescind the previous award they bestowed on him.

"As a nation, we must ask ourselves if we are living up to the obligations of the Emancipation Proclamation . . . If the adage that silence means acceptance, the worst thing our country can do in the face of bigotry is remain quiet. We must stand up, speak out and call attention to a real problem."