In light of all the audio coming out with Donald Sterling not wanting his mistress to be seen with black people, or bring them to his games, and comparing blacks to dogs, the Clippers coaches and players are put in a very difficult position. However, one man that didn’t get drafted there or traded to the team against his will was Doc Rivers. Doc essentially forced his way to LA over the summer, so you would think he knew about Sterling’s past.
He says he didn’t:
Doc: Sterling's racist history wasn't factor when he took job. "Didn't know a lot about it. Probably should have."
— Phil Taylor (@SI_PhilTaylor) April 27, 2014
Is this an honest mistake or is it blissful ignorance? It’s hard for me to believe that he didn’t know about Elgin Baylor’s lawsuit against Sterling for wrongful termination based on race. Or he didn’t know about him not wanting to pay former coaches he had contracts with. How about not knowing about the lawsuit he settled over housing discrimination where he said that “black people attract vermin.”
I will give Rivers credit for publicly admitting this because it takes guts to do that now, if he is being truthful. Also, don’t forget that Doc played for Sterling so this isn’t his first time with the organization. I’ll be very curious to see what happens when the Clippers are done playing this season.