LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, banned for life after his allegedly racist ways were exposed by TMZ, is digging himself an even deeper hole this week, telling Anderson Cooper that retired Lakers legend Magic Johnson “should be ashamed of himself” for having AIDS.
For the record, Magic Johnson does not have AIDS. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1991.
The malicious and unprovoked attack came during Sterling’s interview with Anderson Cooper last night, which he presumably scheduled to help clean up his public image after being banned for life from the NBA. Instead of answering for his own actions, the 80-year-old names Magic Johnson as someone who the media should really be targeting.
“I think [Johnson] should be ashamed of himself,” Sterling said of Magic Johnson’s 1991 HIV diagnosis. “I think he should go into the background. But what does he do for the black people? He doesn’t do anything.”
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Then, after calling Anderson Cooper a racist without explanation, Sterling elaborated:
“He’s got AIDS. What has he done, big Magic Johnson, what has he done?”
…
“He acts so holy. He made love to every girl in every city in America, and he had AIDS, and when he had those AIDS, I went to my synagogue and I prayed for him, I hope he could live and be well. I didn’t criticize him. I could have. Is he an example for children?”
“What kind of a guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl, then he catches HIV. Is that someone we want to respect, and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself.”
Johnson is scheduled to appear on tonight’s episode of Anderson Cooper 360. In the meantime, he offered a short and dismissive response on Twitter:
After this week, no more Sterling talk. Just the NBA Playoffs, my @Dodgers and my @LA_Sparks!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 13, 2014
Stay tuned.
e.c.
As anybody who lives in L.A. knows, Magic Johnson and The Magic Johnson Foundation have done plenty for the minority community. Aside from being just plain wrong it’s also ironic coming from someone who’s been sued for housing discrimination. Some douchbags just don’t know when to shut up.
xzall
This from the man, Donald Sterling, who sued his prostitute for return of property back in 2003. This while he was of course still technically married.
Here’s part of his deposition from 2003:
“It was purely sex for money, money for sex, sex for money, money for sex.”
“When you pay a woman for sex, you are not together with her. You’re paying her for a few moments to use her body for sex. Is it clear? Is it clear?”
“The woman wanted sex everywhere. In the alley, in her car, in the elevator, in the upstairs seventh floor, in the bathroom.”
And at one point during the deposition this happened:
Sterling: “When I’m in a limousine, she takes all of her clothes (off). The limo driver said, ‘What is going on?’ And she started sucking me on the way to Mr. Koon’s house. And I thank her. I thank her for making me feel good.”
Lawyer: “Sir, the question was, is this your handwriting?”
Shannon1981
@xzall: LOL this is gold. Link?
Tookietookie123
“I didn’t criticize him. I could have.” I think you may have some kind of brain damage if you honestly don’t believe this is in any way criticism. You might have a ton of money and you may be able to buy people’s misdirected “affections” but we will never think of you as a good person, in fact, you’re quite the terrible human being. Don’t blame Magic Johnson for your own mistakes and especially your own idiocy.
PARKAVMAN
It just keeps getting better and better with him. I think he is going for ‘Diminished Capacity’, so he can sue the NFL and get the team back. “I’m crazy, you can’t hold me accountable for what I say.”
Desert Boy
Donald Sterling is a worthless, insensitive piece of crap. Now I understand why he didn’t want Magic Johnson at Clippers games. And to think, I thought is was because Magic is African American? But Magic is correct.
AJAnders
“What kind of guy goes to every city and has sex with every girl?”.
If I had to guess, I’d say 90% of all NBA players throughout history.
Stache99
@AJAnders: More like jealousy that they actually want to have sex with Magic without demanding a ton of $ for it.
Stache99
@xzall: Don’t ever tell me these women don’t work for their $. Imagine having to suck Donald Sterling off. I mean where does your mind have to be for that? Yuck.
Lance Mullholland
This generation will simply have to die out. We had to wait a while with Ronald Ray-Gun, but at least his transgression was silence – which was equally infuriating.
As a Christian, it took years for the Holy Spirit to help me to forgive him and release my personal anger for what he didn’t do to help in the early years of the health crisis.
Maybe this man does have dementia? Where is his lawyer when he’s interviewed ? People at this level of prosperity do have “handlers”, don’t they ?
Blackceo
That interview was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. Spike Lee was on Anderson Cooper afterward and he was speechless. You know you are r/a/c/i/s/t as hell if you leave Spike Lee speechless. Donald Sterling is like a lot of wealthy white men who live in a bubble. He has a plantation mentality and believes that just because his predominantly black roster makes millions of dollars he somehow still can’t have such a mentality. His wife Shelly needs to sit her ass down somewhere too. Neither of them need to own that team and he needs to sell it.
His words for Magic Johnson last night were horrible. He goes from saying how much he respects Magic to essentially calling him a whore who caught AIDS. If he has lawyers they need to be fired and he needs to get new ones. I don’t know how Anderson Cooper kept a straight face.
I will also say that this pales in comparison to the structural r/a/c/i/s/m Sterling has exhibited in the past, which should have had him ousted as an owner then. His actions hurt real families a lot more than his words did. My legal hat has an issue with this because we tell people who have not so nice things to say to keep it “kitchen table talk”. He essentially did that and didn’t know he was being recorded. Trust me, if you put a tape recorder at my kitchen table there’s going to be some people who won’t like everything I have to say and I’m sure that is the case with all of us.
Bottom line though is that the recording was one example in a long line of r/a/c/i/s/t acts committed by Donald Sterling and if this is what it takes to get him out of the league than so be it.
mcflyer54
If Sterling has anyone handling damage control he should fire them. He was in no way ready for broadcast television and if anyone told him he was they were lying. Rush Limbaugh originally said that Sterling was “set up” by his girlfriend (or someone working with her). So what’s Rush’s excuse for this bigoted old fool now?
TerrenM
I’m curious why this is a story on Queerty. Just because HIV/AIDS is involved, it’s automatically linked to the gay community?
robho3
he’s on the train to Crazytown….I think there might be a couple of screws loose… maybe he think he’s in Alabama in 1950.
Mezaien
Magic, babe tell the old fart to get fucked!. he just lost big time and the money he made of you will be gone to. Love you Magic, always. AdamHomo
toberlin
Magic Johnson is also famous here as a role model.For his magic career, for his open and positive handling with being positive,for being a good father and husband.
I never missed Donald Sterling in my life
tjr101
@TerrenM: Stop being so short sighted and naive. It is news because the guy is a bigot. Bigotry against one minority is bigotry against all of us.
TerrenM
@tjr101: Cute try; however this is the FIRST time Queerty has spoken of this whole Don Sterling debacle. His bigotry has been going on for over a week. Queerty didn’t once care to talk about the story till HIV/AIDS was mentioned. Thus, linking it to the gay community. Get it? Good!
michael mellor
Magic Johnson has HIV, not AIDS. You can have HIV without having AIDS.
Stache99
@TerrenM: Your point is valid for Queerty for sure. However, all the other gay blogs that I read have covered it from the beginning.
tjr101
@TerrenM: If you don’t like the story or think it has nothing to do with the gay community, don’t click the link. Simple, leave the reading to the rest of us.
Keebler ILF
I was trying to see the look on Anderson Cooper’s face when
Donald Sterling asked him if he ever had a girlfriend that
made him jealous. Maybe Sterling doesn’t know Anderson’s gay.
What’s with all these people named Donald saying crazy things?
Donald sterling, Donald Rumsfeld, Donald Trump.
Lance Mullholland
Sings: ” I just met a girl named De-ment-tia ” (from East Side Story)
For all you smart phone grindin’ thumb jockeys out there, that’s a play, buddy…
Maude
Sterling is a piece of sheet as is obvious……..But have we come so far from our American Constitutional rights that we take someones property because of what he thinks?
Force him to sell his Clippers if he doesn’t want to?
That is tyrannical.
Shun him, officially remove him from the NBA for life. Always remind him of our disgust, but we must not take from him what is not ours.
Maude
@Keebler ILF:
Donald Trump employs many thousands of people, perhaps millions, not only in the US, but around the world. What do you do besides uttering blather?
Keebler ILF
@Maude:
Yes, and he really loves “the blacks”. And I believe he has called
Rosie O’Donnell an ugly pig. Very classy way of handling a
disagreement with her.
I love Donald Trump on The Apprentice, but your statement doesn’t
disprove my point that he has also said some crazy things. It sounds like you’re saying that having money means it’s ok to say whatever
horrible things you want about people. You don’t have to like
everybody, but a little common courtesy would be nice.
Keebler ILF
@Maude:
I don’t condone the things Sterling said, but why is he being
fined for something he said in the privacy of his own home?