Violation #1: Donald T. Sterling heckles players…his own!
The Lakers have a humble owner that rarely seeks the limelight and instead allows his players, coaches and family to get much of the attention and praise for the teams’ success. When attending games he usually watches from a distance in one of the luxury boxes at Staples.
Conversely, Clipper owner Donald T. has had no success with the Clippers since he’s owned them and likes to watch games in plain view of the cameras courtside. An owner choosing to sit so close to the action is not a rarity in the NBA as owners like Michael Jordan, Mark Cuban and recently passed away Jazz owner Larry Miller have done the same.
What Donald T. Sterling does with his access in those seats is the egregious act. In a March article earlier this year, Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that Sterling routinely heckles players from his courtside seat. Marc notes some of Sterling heckling calls as “Why are you in the game?” and “you’re out of shape.” I think any fan would appreciate that type of passion from any owner, expect when you learn those calls were being directed at a player from his own team!
It is no wonder free agents avoid the Clippers with the lack of support from the owner.
