As part of the latest legal front to combat his ouster by the NBA’s Board of Governors, banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling sent a biting 32-page response to the league on Wednesday.
In his legal response, Sterling stated his intent to fight the NBA’s charges and retain ownership. In his rebuttal, Sterling’s lawyer used Kobe Bryant’s in-game homophobic slur directed towards referee Bennie Adams in 2011 as an example of the NBA’s blatantly selective punishment.
Via Inside SoCal:
“Mr. Sterling’s ego was obviously bruised by this remark suggesting that she was cavorting with younger, “gorgeous” men. It’s facially ludicrous that what Mr. Sterling said in these circumstances could produce the equivalent of a death penalty while Kobe Bryant called a referee a [homosexual slur] on national television sustaining only a modest $100,000 fine.”
Ultimately, he won't succeed, however, Sterling is making quite a powerful last stand against the league by throwing everything against the wall and hoping some of it sticks. The sooner the NBA is rid of him, the better, but until he's gone the Sterling stench will continue creating negative vibes across the league.
