Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says Donald Sterling refused to provide health care insurance for a coach who had cancer
Kareem Abdul Jabbar told Jake Tapper, host of CNN’s “The Lead,” that Los Angeles Clippers Owner Donald Sterling refused to provide health care insurance for an assistant coach who had cancer.
Jabbar said that for him the incident with the coach and Sterling’s alleged racists comments equating black tenants to vermin paints a picture of a man who “lacks compassion for people.”
Jabbar told Tapper, “One of his coaches came down with cancer and needed surgery. And Mr. Sterling would not allow that coach to be covered by his –the team policy. It’s ridiculous. Three of the players ended up paying for the coach’s cancer surgery.”
Sterling’s past behavior became a hot topic after TMZ released an audio tape of Sterling telling his girlfriend, Vivian Stiviano, not to hang around “black people.”
Stiviano is of black and Mexican heritage. TMZ quoted Sterling as saying, “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”
Sterling also told Stiviano that he didn’t want her being seen with Magic Johnson. After hearing Sterling’s comments, Johnson issued a statement saying that neither he or his wife Cookie Johnson will be going to another Clippers’ game as long as Sterling is the owner.
Last Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Sterling will be banned for life from attending any of the NBA games and fined $2.5 million.
Silver has also asked the Board of Governors to force Sterling to sell the team.
Jabbar said that for him the incident with the coach and Sterling’s alleged racists comments equating black tenants to vermin paints a picture of a man who “lacks compassion for people.”
Jabbar told Tapper, “One of his coaches came down with cancer and needed surgery. And Mr. Sterling would not allow that coach to be covered by his –the team policy. It’s ridiculous. Three of the players ended up paying for the coach’s cancer surgery.”
Sterling’s past behavior became a hot topic after TMZ released an audio tape of Sterling telling his girlfriend, Vivian Stiviano, not to hang around “black people.”
Stiviano is of black and Mexican heritage. TMZ quoted Sterling as saying, “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”
Sterling also told Stiviano that he didn’t want her being seen with Magic Johnson. After hearing Sterling’s comments, Johnson issued a statement saying that neither he or his wife Cookie Johnson will be going to another Clippers’ game as long as Sterling is the owner.
Last Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Sterling will be banned for life from attending any of the NBA games and fined $2.5 million.
Silver has also asked the Board of Governors to force Sterling to sell the team.
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