Magic Johnson to purchase L.A. Clippers

Well, here’s an interesting new twist in the (alleged!) Donald Sterling racist rant saga: Magic Johnson, the legendary former Laker who took the picture with Sterling’s ex-girlfriend that sparked the awful, racist comments Sterling made, is reportedly interested in purchasing the Clippers. Per Yahoo!: 

Magic Johnson and his billionaire backers, the Guggenheim Partners, want a chance to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told Yahoo Sports. “Magic’s absolutely interested,” one source closely connected to Johnson’s business interests told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night.

To bail themselves out of the NBA’s worst crisis of credibility since the Tim Donaghy officiating scandal, the easy part for the NBA will be enlisting the eagerness and financial muscle of Magic Johnson and Mark Walter of the Guggenheim Partners – owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For commissioner Adam Silver, the chance to turn the Clippers over to Magic Johnson and his partners is the best possible of solutions. Exit Sterling, enter Magic. It would be the greatest trade in sports ownership history since, well, Magic for the McCourts, with the Dodgers.

[...] Make no mistake: Magic’s Dodgers group is angling for a Southern California sports empire. Magic Johnson and Guggenheim had been aggressive in pursuing a purchase of the Los Angeles Lakers – only to have the Buss family make clear to them the franchise isn’t for sale, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Nevertheless, this is business and Magic’s willing to change colors and make himself a Clipper. Between the Dodgers and Clippers, Magic Johnson could be the face of two championship contenders.

Magic could have it all.

“This is 100 percent Magic’s plan,” a league official intimately involved in the buying and selling of franchises told Yahoo Sports.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling was allegedly caught on tape making racist comments, some of which were about Magic Johnson. TMZ retained the audio from an argument between Sterling and his then-girlfriend V. Stiviano, which occurred after she posted an Instagram photo posing with Johnson.

In the nine-minute recording, Sterling berates Stiviano—a black and Latina woman in her 20s—for posting the photo and bringing black people to Clippers games. And it doesn’t end there.
Here’s a sampling of some of Sterling’s comments (via TMZ):

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”

“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 that … and not to bring them to my games.”

“I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people.”

“Don’t put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me.  And don’t bring him to my games.”

Sterling has a documented history of allegedly racist behavior and was sued by former Clippers GM Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination. Sterling’s racist comments have drawn widespread ire. Meek Mill, Snoop Dogg and Magic Johnson have all issued rebukes.