<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"The controversy couldn't be ignored. \nWhen ABC's broadcast of the NBA playoffs game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors started, viewers saw Clippers players wearing their warmup T-shirts inside out in solidarity against racist remarks \u2014 caught on tape \u2014 allegedly made by team owner Donald Sterling. Players also uncharacteristically wore black socks and armbands.\nA commentator during the game's first quarter revealed Clippers star player Chris Paul told her that the team discussed not participating in the game at all, but everyone instead decided to take a stand with the fashion statement.\nSee also: Obama, Rihanna, Snoop Respond to Clippers Owner's Alleged Racist Rant\nWhile the NBA continues to investigate whether Sterling is the male voice on the audio recording, NBA commentators on Sunday addressed the firestorm head-on before game four playoffs game:\n\n\"There are some things that are bigger than pursuing a championship,\" like making a stand against racism. ~ NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy\n\u2014 Brian A. Hernandez (@BAHjournalist) April 27, 2014\n\nPlayers on the bench kept the warmup shirts inside out throughout the game, while Sterling's wife, Rochelle, sat courtside across from them. Donald Sterling, who denies being a racist, did not attend the game. A sideline reporter during the broadcast said Rochelle told her that \"I do not condone those statements you heard. ... I don't know [if that's my husband's voice].\"\nBasketball fans at the game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., also brought signs to the game to express their views on the controversy:\n\nSpectacular Donald Sterling signs (via @JeremySF) http://t.co/XBCVj9r7Pq pic.twitter.com/70IYbp4uW4\n\u2014 SB Nation (@SBNation) April 27, 2014\n\n\n\"Magic Always Welcomed @ Oracle! No Room 4 Racism\" #Clippers pic.twitter.com/JxCa9oQrGM\n\u2014 AJ (@AlisaJass) April 27, 2014\n\nThe backlash stems from an audio recording, first published on TMZ, in which Sterling allegedly said racist comments to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano. \nThe male voice on the recording said, \"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you\u2019re associating with black people. Do you have to?\" The female replied, \u201CYou associate with black people.\u201D The man countered, \u201CI\u2019m not you, and you\u2019re not me. You\u2019re supposed to be a delicate white or a delicate Latina girl.\" That prompted the woman to assert, \"I\u2019m a mixed girl \u2026 And you\u2019re in love with me. And I\u2019m black and Mexican whether you like it or not.\"\nThe man on the recording also said, \"You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on [Instagram] ... and not to bring them to my games.\"\n\nIn this photo taken in October 2013, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and V. Stiviano, watch the Clippers play a game.Image: Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressNegative reaction to the remarks was significant on social media, with #boycottClippers trending on Twitter. Even U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the comments during a trip to Malaysia. \n\"When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don\u2019t have to do anything, you just let them talk,\u201D he reportedly said. \u201CThe United States continues to wrestle with legacy of race and slavery and segregation. That\u2019s still there. We\u2019ve made enormous strides, but you\u2019re going to continue to see this percolate up ... We have to continue denouncing it and teach our children differently.\u201D\nThe Clippers got off to a slow start Sunday, trailing majorly after the first quarter. When asked if the controversy was affecting his players' performances, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told a reporter after the game's first quarter, \"I'm not going to use that as an excuse.\" \nIn the end, the Clippers lost 97-118. During a post-game press conference, Chris Paul said the team's decision to wear their shirts inside out \"had nothing to do with the game. ... For us, it\u2019s all about winning basketball games.\" \nThe Clippers will have their next chance at winning on Tuesday, when the team takes on the Warriors for game five of the playoffs series. \n\"There\u2019s distractions all of the time \u2014 you just go out there and play basketball,\u201D Clippers power forward Blake Griffin said at the press conference. \"We just have to lock in and get ready for game five.\" \nBefore Sunday's game, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced Sterling would no longer receive a lifetime-achievement award, which the organization had planned to honor him with in May. \n\"Let me make it clear: The NAACP will not be honoring Mr. Sterling at the upcoming Los Angeles branch event, and we have strongly urged our Los Angeles unit to take the necessary steps to rescind the previous award they bestowed on him,\u201D Lorraine C. Miller, the NAACP's interim president and CEO, said in a statement.\nClippers President Andy Roeser also released the following statement on Saturday:\nWe have heard the tape on TMZ. We do not know if it is legitimate or it has been altered. We do know that the woman on the tape \u2014 who we believe released it to TMZ \u2014 is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would \u201Cget even.\u201D Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him, and apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them. He is also upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him about Earvin Johnson. He has long considered Magic a friend, and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him \u2014 both in terms of who he is and what he has achieved. We are investigating this matter.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\n      window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement('script');js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);};\n_msla(\"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\",\"twitter_jssdk\");"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/04/27/clippers-players-shirts-inside-out-racist-remarks-sterling/>