The new limited series about Donald Sterling’s Clippers scandal has premiered a new trailer.
A new trailer has premiered for Clipped, a limited series dramatization of the Donald Sterling scandal that led the NBA to oust him from Los Angeles Clippers ownership in 2014.
The new series stars sitcom veteran Ed O’Neill as Sterling, Laurence Fishburne as then-Clippers coach Doc Rivers, Jackie Weaver as Shelly Sterling and Cleopatra Coleman as V. Stiviano, Sterling’s personal assistant.
The trailer promises an in-depth look at how Sterling’s racist comments derailed his ownership of one of the most lucrative franchises in the NBA.
Castle Rock and Feud: Bette and Joan producer Gina Welch created the series, which is based on ESPN’s 30 For 30 podcast series The Sterling Affairs from Ramona Shelburne.
The six-episode series is slated to premiere on June 4.
Miller expressed his dissatisfaction that players have been willing to call out owners but not one of their own. “In years past, this league has been great because the players have led the way and they have strong voices,” Miller said. “When Donald …
Miller expressed his dissatisfaction that players have been willing to call out owners but not one of their own. “In years past, this league has been great because the players have led the way and they have strong voices,” Miller said. “When Donald Sterling stepped in it, when Robert Sarver just recently stepped in it, our voices in the basketball community and our players were vocally strong in some type of discipline being handed down — or be gone. “The players have dropped the ball on this case when it’s been one of their own. It’s been crickets,” Miller added. “And it’s disappointing, because this league has been built on the shoulders of the players being advocates. Right is right and wrong is wrong. And if you’re gonna call out owners, and rightfully so, then you’ve got to call out players as well. You can’t go silent in terms of this for Kyrie Irving. I want to hear the players and their strong opinions as well, just as we heard about Robert Sarver and Donald Sterling.”
BasketNews @BasketNews_com
Kyrie Irving has been in the news recently for promoting a movie that is considered to be antisemitic.
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley lashed out at the NBA for not taking any action so far 🗣️ basketnews.com/news-180248-ch… – 3:05 AM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Kyrie Irving head coaches:
2011-13: Byron Scott
2013-14: Mike Brown
2014-16: David Blatt
2016-17: Tyronn Lue
2017-19: Brad Stevens
2019-20: Kenny Atkinson
2020: Jacque Vaughn
2020-22: Steve Nash
2022: Jacque Vaughn
2022-23: Ime Udoka? pic.twitter.com/3i6IVKEHBq – 11:10 PM
KC Johnson @KCJHoop
LaVine on Dosunmu vs. Irving: “He steps up to the challenge all the time. Ayo even in his second year is a vocal leader. He helps pick up our energy, offensively, defensively, just the way he carries himself. In the fourth quarter, he came up with some giant steals.” – 10:45 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
The Nets landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in part due to the incredible culture.
They’ve since fired two coaches, mortgaged their future to trade for a malcontent who quit on them and then traded him for another malcontent.
Just a stunning 180 in organizational culture. – 10:29 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Jacque Vaughn on if Kyrie was distracted: “I told the guys there’s no excuses. Whether it’s back to back, no excuses. Whether the changing scenery scenery of today, no excuses. This is what we do for a living, what we signed up for. It was gameday so we gotta bring it” #Nets – 10:03 PM
Chuck Swirsky @ctsbulls
Bulls win..Bulls win..Bulls win. 108-99 over the Nets. @Zach LaVine 37 min. 29pts -20- 4th quarter. DeRozan with 20. Dosunmu with 17. Dragic 15. Williams 12pts 7 reb. Durant: 32. Irving 2-12pts. 0-6-3s. 4-6-7. . Ayo’s defense was superb. Bulls home with Hornets Wednesday. – 9:58 PM
Barbara Barker @meanbarb
Kyrie had four points in this loss. What was the matter? We may never no since Nets don’t want him to cause a postgame fuss. – 9:56 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Final: Nets fall to the Bulls 108-99. Jacque Vaughn’s interim magic against the Bulls comes to an end. Does he coach Friday in DC? Kevin Durant had 32 in the loss. Kyrie Irving had just four. Nets hit the road with no Ben Simmons return in sight. – 9:56 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Kyrie Irving has four points on 2-of-12 shooting and is minus-14. But the fact is the #Nets led by a dozen and flushed this one away. A clearly-upset KD walks off headed to the locker room after they coughed up a 24-11 run to close the game. #Bulls#NBA – 9:54 PM
Tas Melas @TasMelas
Next Brooklyn Net to leave
Sean Marks +400
Kyrie Irving +500
Kevin Durant +800
Ben Simmons N/A – 9:54 PM
KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Bulls 108, Nets 99
LaVine 29 pts (20 in 4th), 5 assists
DeRozan 20 pts
Dosunmu 17 pts, 4 assists, solid D on Irving
Dragic 15 pts
Williams 12 pts, 7 rebs
Durant 32 pts, 9 rebs, 6 assists
Irving 2-12 – 9:53 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
A meltdown by the Nets down the stretch. Bulls played harder and better when it mattered most. KD played tough throughout — but Kyrie looked disengaged most of the game. The Nets turned the ball over 17 times. A strange game in the midst of a stranger day — even for the Nets. – 9:52 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Kyrie has Vucevic on him on the perimeter and he’s giving it to Royce with Patrick Williams on him.
He’s just out of it tonight. – 9:45 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Kyrie sold this one for Brooklyn.
Chicago up 9 with 5:37 remaining after 7 straight from Zach Lavine. – 9:40 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
Kyrie registers his first bucket a couple minutes into the 4th quarter. He’s now 1-for-8 in 24 minutes. – 9:30 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Kyrie Irving scores his first points of the game with a layup early in the fourth to give the Nets back the lead after going right around Patrick Williams, and then creates a layup for Nic Claxton at the other end on the next possession. Score is tied here at 84 with 9:22 to go. – 9:30 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
This is the worst game I’ve seen Kyrie Irving play in a very long time. 0 points on 0/7 shooting through three quarters.
If Nets were getting anything from him they would’ve had a nice cushion going into the 4th. They lead Chicago 80-77 instead. – 9:24 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
End of the third quarter: Nets lead the Bulls 80-77. DeMar just beat the buzzer. Kyrie Irving remains scoreless. Kevin Durant has 30. Can the Nets close this one out? – 9:24 PM
KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Bulls haven’t played well at either end but close 3rd quarter with Goran Dragic blocking a scoreless Kyrie Irving shot and DeMar DeRozan reaching 20 points to make it a one-possession game. – 9:23 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Kyrie Irving has gone scoreless in 20 minutes so far tonight.
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, Irving has gone scoreless in a game twice in his career – once when he played 2 minutes, another when he went 0-for-9 and played 20 minutes in a loss to Atlanta while a Cavalier on Dec. 6, 2013. – 9:14 PM
Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Night off for Kyrie? Glad to say I voted him most overrated player in the league four straight years in my annual preseason preview. That will continue. – 9:02 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Kyrie Irving looked tired and unaggressive in that first half. Played 13 minutes and took just 3 shots.
Not looking to attack or push the ball the way he typically does. – 8:41 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Half: Nets 58, Bulls 52
Durant: 20 pts, 4/6 shooting, 8/8 ft
O’Neale: 12 pts, 4 reb, 2/4 from three
Mills: 9 pts, 2/3 from three
Brooklyn leads at the break despite a scoreless half from Kyrie Irving. Nets shoot 9/19 from three. – 8:38 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Halftime: Nets lead the Bulls 58-52. Durant has 19. Kyrie is scoreless. Bulls have 10 more second-chance points than the Nets. Zach and DeMar keeping them in it. – 8:38 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
Quiet night so far from Kyrie. He’s 0-for-3 from the field and has three assists and two rebounds in 13 minutes. KD is carrying the Nets offensively with 18 points in 18 minutes. – 8:36 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Kyrie Irving only played 13 minutes in the first half.
He averaged 39.6 minutes through the first 7 games of the season. – 8:36 PM
Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
Ime Udoka – his own questions still lingering – would be stepping into an almost no-lose/no-personal-blame situation in Brooklyn.
But sources tell @HeavyOnSports they wonder whether Kyrie and the seemingly constant drama will ever allow the Nets to win. bit.ly/3DkRTGQ – 8:12 PM
Sean Highkin @highkin
Seeing a LOT of the same people who were calling Kyrie a labor rights hero for skipping media day zoom a couple years ago now killing the Nets for shielding him from doing media now. – 6:36 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis #Nets GM Sean Marks admits Kyrie’s last postgame presser “didn’t go well.” He adds “At this point we don’t want to cause more fuss right now, more interaction with people. Let’s let him simmer down and…I guess let’s let cooler minds prevail.” – 5:40 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Last year, Heat center Meyers Leonard used an anti-Semitic phrase while playing a video game. After apologizing, Leonard was quickly suspended from all team activities, fined $50,000 and required to participate in a cultural diversity program.
ZERO repercussions for Kyrie Irving – 5:29 PM
Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Kyrie Irving won’t talk to the media today after not speaking to the media after last night’s Nets game. Sean Marks said it’s because he wants to let Irving “simmer down” and not create more “fuss.” He said Irving’s last media session “didn’t go well.” – 5:18 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
What a hollow, insincere statement… It’s been five days since Kyrie (who is a VP of the Players Association) posted a link to a film which quoted Hitler and this statement fails to even mention Irving by name. pic.twitter.com/bLUd7cicwy – 5:17 PM
Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria
Sean Marks says Kyrie Irving won’t do media again tonight.
“At some point he will do media again…We don’t want to create more of a fuss right now.” – 5:16 PM
Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
Marks on why Irving is still playing: “He didn’t do media last night, he’s not going to do it tonight … we don’t want to cause more fuss right now … let’s let him simmer down and let cooler minds prevail … and get some direction, seek from the experts” – 5:16 PM
Tania Ganguli @taniaganguli
Sean Marks says Kyrie Irving won’t be talking to media today: “We don’t want to cause more fuss right now with more interaction with people.” – 5:15 PM
Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
Sean Marks says Kyrie Irving won’t be doing media again tonight. Wanting to lower the temperature at the moment. – 5:15 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Sean Marks says Kyrie Irving will not be made available to the media tonight.
“We don’t want to cause more fuss right now. We decided to let him simmer down.” – 5:15 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Sean Marks says the team has had discussions with Kyrie behind the scenes and has been working with the ADL as the situation as unfolded. – 5:13 PM
Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Sean Marks said Nets have talked to the ADL and continue to talk with Kyrie Irving. Said there’s no place for hate speech.
“I’m certainly not proud of the situation we find ourselves in,” Marks said. “I’d like to turn ESPN or the TV not find you talking about us in that manner.” – 5:11 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Sean Marks: “As it pertains to, Kyrie I mean, we are having discussions – some internal, some external discussions – from the highest levels. We are involved with the #ADL and getting and getting their advice and and just hopefully they can advise us.” #Nets – 5:10 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Sean Marks said there’s conversations about Kyrie Irving behind the scenes. Doesn’t want to get into the specifics. – 5:10 PM
Bobby Manning @RealBobManning
Marks on skepticism toward Nets: “I’m certainly not proud of the situation we find ourselves in … as it pertains to Kyrie, we’re having discussions.”
“There’s no tolerance in here for any hate speech.” – 5:10 PM
Ian Begley @IanBegley
GM Sean Marks said the organization and Steve Nash came to an understanding that it was the time to part ways with Nash because the team was not playing to its standard. Marks said there was no input from players – including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving – on the decision. – 5:03 PM
Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
My bad, Joe Tsai did mention Kyrie by name in his statement. The NBA and NBPA (where Kyrie is a VP) did not. – 4:19 PM
Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
The NBPA released a statement condemning anti-Semitism though it doesn’t name Kyrie Irving, a VP there and ostensibly the reason why this statement was made. Says it is “committed to helping players fully understand that certain words can lead to hateful ideologies being spread.” pic.twitter.com/fEWztRMi4Z – 4:14 PM
Malika Andrews @malika_andrews
The NBPA issued the following statement condemning antisemitism.
It does not mention Kyrie Irving, who is a VP and recently shared the link to a movie containing antisemitic rhetoric, by name. pic.twitter.com/DPKdvzH1yQ – 4:11 PM
Howard Beck @HowardBeck
The players association @TheNBPA has just issued the following statement — presumably in response to (NBPA VP) Kyrie Irving’s recent posting of an antisemitic film. pic.twitter.com/ROD4PhOs7F – 4:10 PM
Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
Just posted:
Ime Udoka — his own questions still lingering — would be stepping into an almost no-lose situation in Brooklyn. But sources tell @HeavyOnSports they wonder whether Kyrie and the seemingly constant drama will ever allow the Nets to win. bit.ly/3DkRTGQ – 3:51 PM
Bill Reiter @sportsreiter
Udoka in Brooklyn is clearly more baggage at an already teetering organization. But I see it from the Nets side, too: He coached there, he is an excellent coach with a track record of success, & KD/Kyrie know him and surely singed off. This is, as always, about them. – 2:52 PM
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Ime Udoka’s defensive background and familiarity with Brooklyn’s stars put him over the top.
Udoka coached KD and Kyrie as Nets defensive coordinator in 2020-21. He coached Simmons in the same role with Philadelphia in 2019-20.
The Nets rank 29th in defensive rating this year. – 2:26 PM
Mark Deeks @MarkDeeksNBA
Steve Nash fired for not being able to get Kyrie Irving to care about anyone other than himself or make Ben Simmons give a toss about improving his game, to be replaced by someone who will obviously do these completely doable things immediately. – 2:24 PM
Ian Begley @IanBegley
One thing worth noting on Ime Udoka: when he was an assistant coach w/BKN, he wasn’t shy about coaching Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving with an edge/challenging them, as SNY reported. Udoka is suspended for the season by BOS, reportedly for inappropriate conduct with female staffer – 2:01 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Fun fact — This is what Kyrie and KD said in 2020 after Steve Nash was named head coach.
Kyrie: “I don’t really see us having a head coach… KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.”
KD: “Jacque Vaughn could do it one day.” pic.twitter.com/OhVElKsE1h – 1:24 PM
Steve Popper @StevePopper
As long as the Nets are making moves, maybe it’s time to part ways with the expiring contract that they will never extend. Talked to a few execs around the league who would not touch Kyrie. I can think of one who might take the chance – if not, pull the bandaid off. – 1:14 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
A month after Nash was hired, Kyrie Irving proclaimed: “I don’t really see us having a head coach. You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.”
Durant then added: “Jacque Vaughn could do it one day. It’s a collaborative effort, I think, on our part.” – 1:09 PM
Tom Lorenzo @TomLorenzo
Reading into the situation for the “but after a win” crowd…the “mutual” agreement to “part ways” is important. Don’t think Nash wanted to be here. The summer strife, the Kyrie stuff, the awful start…best take a page out of J Kidd’s book and find a fresh start elsewhere. – 1:07 PM
Tas Melas @TasMelas
‘21 playoffs: Nets lose to the Bucks in 7 with Irving out and half a Harden. What if, what if, what if… – 1:03 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Kenny Atkinson gone.
Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen and James Harden and first-round draft picks all gone.
Steve Nash gone.
Kyrie Irving … still there. – 12:57 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Nets under Steve Nash:
— 94-67 record
— Won 1 playoff round
— KD/Kyrie played only 64 games together
— KD/Kyrie/Harden played only 16 games together pic.twitter.com/DMYiByvmws – 12:57 PM
Mark Deeks @MarkDeeksNBA
Here are some questions for Kyrie he might want to use his free speech and leadership to answer.
1) Has he sought the counsel of anyone to help him understand why his actions are hurtful?
2) If there are more important issues we could be discussing, why did he raise that one? – 11:35 AM
Nick Wright @getnickwright
Here’s 20 minutes on what the Nets do with Kyrie, and more importantly how we got here, friends we’ve lost because of it, and how incredibly sad and scared it all makes me. youtu.be/AiPLhY5Rk1s – 8:59 AM
“I think he should have been suspended him,” Barkley said. “I think Adam [Silver] should have suspended him. First of all, Adam is Jewish — you can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion. You gonna insult me, you have the right, but I have the right to say, ‘You can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion.’ I think the NBA, they made a mistake. We’ve suspended people and fined people who have made homophobic slurs. And that was the right thing to do. If you insult the black community, you should be suspended or fined heavily.” -via Ryan Glasspiegel @ New York Post / November 2, 2022
Donald Sterling’s lifetime ban should have set a precedent.
Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
On April 29, 2014, the NBA issued a lifetime ban of former Los Angeles Clippers governor Donald Sterling for racist comments he made that were caught on an audio recording. The ban precipitated his eventual forced sale of the Clippers, which required a three-quarters majority vote by the other team owners.
On the recording, Sterling was upset with girlfriend V. Stiviano for sharing a photo of herself with Magic Johnson on Instagram, urging that she not post photos with Black people. Eight years later, his punishment was thought to set a precedent for how the NBA would handle Phoenix Suns governor Robert Sarver, who was accused in reports last year of creating a hostile work environment through racism, misogyny and harsh treatment of employees over his 17-year tenure.
Personally, I’m not as concerned about whether or not they removed him as owner. I do think the precedent was there to do so, but a forced sale is hardly punishment when it nets him upward of a billion dollars. I do, however, believe a one-year ban was extremely too lenient.
The NBA’s investigation found that Sarver “clearly violated” workplace standards. He used a racist slur at least five times, and there were instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees. As isolated incidents go, his transgressions were actually worse than Sterling’s because they happened at the actual workplace, involving people he employees.
Of course, anyone who’s read about Sterling’s past transgressions knows they run deeper than just the comments about Johnson. And the audio recording likely made a legal battle more possible to win. But even if the league didn’t feel it could win in court against Sarver, why didn’t it issue a similar lifetime ban? How did it land on a ban that allows someone who displayed such foul behavior to return after just a year?
This was a rare miss for the NBA.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Have you been paying attention to EuroBasket 2022? If not, you’re missing out some good hoops, and the latest player to impress is Germany’s Franz Wagner.
An NBA All-Rookie first-teamer for the Orlando Magic last season, Wagner helped Germany eliminate Greece on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals. He finished with 19 points and made the highlight of the game, this super impressive step-back 3-pointer over Giannis Antetokounmpo.
My colleague Bryan Kalbrosky couldn’t help but wonder how Wagner’s ever-evolving skillset will mesh with the top pick of this year’s draft, Paolo Banchero.
“This excellent performance was nothing new for Wagner, who scored 32 points against Lithuania on Sept. 4. He was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
I was most impressed with Wagner against Sweden during the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers on August 25. He recorded 16 points but added 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. It was the perfect display of his utility.
Wagner is finishing a large share of his offensive possessions as the ball-handler in pick and roll sets, per Synergy. Only two players have been more efficient when shooting off the bounce. Combine that skill set with rookie teammate Paolo Banchero, and the Magic may have the best blend of height and creation skills of any young frontcourt in the NBA.”
Shootaround
— A poll of NBA execs has Luka Doncic as the top player in the NBA to build around. Here’s more from HoopsHype.
The NBA announced the findings and punishment following the investigation of Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver.
After interviews with 320 people and an evaluation of more than 80,000 documents, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Sarver was found guilty of “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies” during his 17-year tenure as a team owner.
Sarver was issued a one-year suspension and he cannot be in an NBA facility or attend any league events during that time. He will also pay a $10 million fine (the maximum amount that the league is allowed to hand out), which will then be given to organizations that address “race and gender-based issues” in the workplace.
While both punishments are notable, many NBA fans felt that the league did not go far enough. The league issued a lifetime ban on former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014, and several individuals wondered why those same measures were not taken against Sarver.
You can see some of the immediate reactions to the news below:
Curry repeatedly agonized over a moment he wishes he could take back. In 2014, the Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was exposed as a vile racist in recordings published by TMZ, in the middle of the upstart Warriors’ playoff series against …
Curry repeatedly agonized over a moment he wishes he could take back. In 2014, the Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was exposed as a vile racist in recordings published by TMZ, in the middle of the upstart Warriors’ playoff series against them. Curry privately discussed a unified player response with the Clippers star Chris Paul, twice, because Curry and his teammates wanted to walk off the court after the jump ball. But the Warriors ultimately deferred to their opponents’ protest of choice — the Clippers wore warmup shirts with the logo inside out, then discarded them at center court — and to the league commissioner’s lifetime ban of Sterling. “One of my biggest regrets is not boycotting the game,” Curry told me. “That was a moment to leverage beyond anything we probably could have said.”
BasketNews @BasketNews_com
Forget Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and the others…
🇮🇹 Nicolo Melli is the best player in the world for Gianmarco Pozzecco 😅💪
#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/08RSl32T6Y – 5:02 AM
Kerith Burke @KerithBurke
Steph Curry told @sullduggery he loves KD. I know anything KD is kindling for the same ol’ discourse but it feels meaningful to see Steph say this. File it away in the “players are people” folder. pic.twitter.com/Kw78XonYsN – 9:19 PM
At 34, Stephen Curry is “absolutely” committed to winning the title again this year. But the game isn’t his only focus. Curry has raised his profile as a businessman, a humanitarian, and — slowly but surely — an activist and more vocal political leader. Look into his kaleidoscopic stare as he considers his status in the history books, and you begin to believe Curry when he declares that he can eventually “have as much influence” as Michael Jordan. And while the notoriously apolitical Jordan once said that “Republicans buy sneakers, too,” Curry has already put his brand on the line by clashing with Trump, endorsing Joe Biden, and marching for racial justice. Now, Curry is grappling with how he might expand the meaning of influence, and wondering what the fuck he is gonna say next. -via Rolling Stone / September 12, 2022
The six-part series will document Rivers’ time with the Clippers during one of the NBA’s most sordid scandals.
When former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers left the team he won a title with in 2008, he certainly thought he was headed to greener pastures, even discounting the lightning-fast rebuild orchestrated by his successor Brad Stevens notwithstanding.
Little did he know he would be walking into a hornet’s nest of controversy that would see the ouster of the team owner of the franchise he chose to helm in place of the Celtics — Donald Sterling and the Los Angeles Clippers. We all know the tale of what came next for Doc and the Clippers as Sterling’s sordid comments and patterns of behavior came to light, but now that saga will be dramatized for the masses in a new docu-series that will cast actor Lawrence Fishburne as the former Boston coach, per Variety’s Joe Otterson.
“The six-episode series tells the … story of Doc Rivers … and the … Clippers’ quest to bring a championship to one of the … worst franchises in all of sports,” writes Otterson.
What are the 10 most efficient games the Boston Celtics have played since Brad Stevens joined the team? https://t.co/ITzUD6YNOo
Set “during the … downfall of … Sterling,” the show focuses on his “racist behavior … amid the power struggle between his wife of 60+ years, Shelly Sterling … and his mistress, V. Stiviano.”
FX will take us through the demise of Donald Sterling as the LA Clippers’ owner.
In a day and age in which sports docudramas are plenty, the latest one announced will be reliving one of the more controversial periods in NBA history.
“The Sterling Affairs.”
The infamous last name needs no introduction or preface. The project got the nod from FX and will be based on the Donald Sterling era of Los Angeles Clippers basketball—and its unsettling end.
Sterling was banned for life from the NBA by commissioner Adam Silver during the 2014 playoffs and fined $2.5 million dollars following racist remarks that he made during a phone conversation with ex-girlfriend V. Stiviano.
FX has ordered THE STERLING AFFAIRS, starring Laurence Fishburne as Doc Rivers, about "the downfall of Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling amid the team’s drive to win a championship."
The Lob City Clippers, headlined by Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, played through the investigation as they battled to keep their postseason alive. They have all spoken publicly about Sterling since his dismissal.
Here’s Doc:
“Within weeks of taking the job, I knew I was in trouble.”@DocRivers opens up about his time coaching under former owner Donald Sterling and details how the LA Clippers locker room came together to make a stand. #NBATogetherpic.twitter.com/hVhbzQmP5y
According to Variety’s Joe Otterson, the six-episode event will draw from ESPN’s 30 For 30 podcast of the same name with Ramona Shelburne—the veteran ESPN reporter who hosted the podcast—serving as executive producer. Rembert Browne, previously of Grantland and New York Magazine will also serve as a producer.
FX has ordered a limited series based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast “The Sterling Affairs” with Laurence Fishburne and Jacki Weaver attached to star, Variety has learned. Source: Joe Otterson @ Variety.com What’s the buzz on Twitter? Ky Carlin @ …
Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA column: While Saturday’s blowout win was encouraging, the #Sixers and Doc Rivers have some things to work out with James Harden and more with the playoffs less than two weeks away: https://t.co/E8a3LPyPSJ #76ers pic.twitter.com/F9cdYqF439 – 12:50 PM
Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA column: While Saturday’s blowout win was encouraging, the #Sixers and Doc Rivers have some things to figure out with James Harden and more. The regular season ends April 10: https://t.co/E8a3LPyPSJ #76ers pic.twitter.com/UrLes4aVjJ – 8:18 PM
Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly #Sixers coach Doc Rivers, asked if James Harden and Joel Embiid will play Sunday night at #Cavaliers: ‘I hope so.’ Said he believes plan is for everybody to be available. – 2:57 PM
Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Doc Rivers says he believes the Sixers are planning to play everyone tomorrow in Cleveland, though he’s not sure. – 2:56 PM
Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Doc Rivers on Joel Embiid: “I really believe he should be the MVP.”
Rivers says Embiid told him he doesn’t want to force things over the final stretch just to get numbers, which Rivers appreciated. – 2:56 PM
Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#NBA column: While Saturday’s blowout win was an encouraging result, the #Sixers and Doc Rivers have things to figure out with James Harden and more in a short period of time: https://t.co/jQP7AuVVIi #76ers pic.twitter.com/5q1LLwlf4A – 2:47 PM
Noah Levick @NoahLevick
From Doc Rivers pregame:
-Team needs to increase pace — look to push the ball ahead, focus on better tempo consistently.
-Frustrated Sixers didn’t post Embiid more vs. Detroit switches.
-Afternoon games in regular season generally hit or miss. No practice or shootaround pregame – 10:55 AM
