Donald Sterling

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Donald Sterling
Sterling in 2010
Born
Donald Tokowitz

(1934-04-26) April 26, 1934 (age 89)
NationalityUnited States
EducationB.A. California State University, Los Angeles
J.D. Southwestern Law School
Occupation(s)Real estate developer, owner of Los Angeles Clippers
Known forFormer owner of Los Angeles Clippers
SpouseRochelle Stein
Children3

Donald Tokowitz Sterling (born April 26, 1934)[2] is an American business magnate and former attorney.

Early life[change | change source]

Sterling was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Los Angeles, California. Sterling studied at the University of California, Los Angeles and at Southwestern Law School. He was raised as Jewish.[3]

Career[change | change source]

He was the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million, and as of 2014, the team is valued at $575 million by Forbes magazine,[4] ranking them 18th out of 30 teams. At 33 seasons of ownership (1981 to present), Sterling was the longest-tenured owner in the NBA since the death of Los Angeles Lakers majority owner Jerry Buss on February 18, 2013 up until his suspension on April 29, 2014.

Personal life[change | change source]

Sterling was married to Rochelle Stern. They had six children. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Racist remarks[change | change source]

On April 25, 2014, TMZ Sports released what it said is an April 9, 2014 audio recording of a conversation between Sterling and V. Stiviano.[5][6] According to TMZ, Sterling and Stiviano argued in regards to a photo Stiviano posted on Instagram in which she posed with Magic Johnson.[6] In the audio recording, Sterling allegedly tells Stiviano: "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people."[5] On April 29, 2014, the University of California, Los Angeles announced that it was rejecting a $3 million gift from Sterling.[7] On April 29, 2014, Sterling was banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million by the NBA after recordings of him making racist comments were made public.[8]

Health[change | change source]

In 2012, Sterling began treatment for prostate cancer.[9] In May 2014, it was announced that Sterling was in the early developing stages of Alzheimer's disease.[10]

References[change | change source]

  1. Forbes: The World's Billionaires: "Donald Sterling" September 2013
  2. Bolch, Ben (April 26, 2014). "Clippers owner Donald Sterling in firestorm over alleged racist remarks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  3. Haaretz: "Jewish groups condemn Donald Sterling remarks" April 28, 2014
  4. "Los Angeles Clippers on the Forbes NBA team valuations list". Forbes. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Cacciola, Scott; Witz, Billy (April 26, 2014). "N.B.A. probing racial remarks tied to owner". The New York Times.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "L.A. Clippers owner to GF: Don't bring black people to my games ... including Magic Johnson". TMZ.com. EHM Productions. April 25, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  7. "UCLA rejects Donald Sterling gift". UCLA newsroom. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  8. Gregory, Sean. "NBA Bans Donald Sterling 'For Life' After Racist Rant". Time. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  9. Bresnahan, Mike; Turner, Broderick (May 2, 2014). "Clippers owner Donald Sterling has prostate cancer, source says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  10. "Donald Sterling diagnosed with Alzheimer's symptoms". USA Today. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

Other websites[change | change source]