NBA

Nets’ Livingston not surprised to hear bigotry from ex-boss

Shaun Livingston didn’t need to hear the racially insensitive comments allegedly made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling in an audio recording to know how the man thinks.

“You look it, it was probably disappointing to a lot of people,” said Livingston, who was drafted by the Clippers and played three years in Los Angeles.

“But you look at what’s kind of gone on in the past, it’s very unfortunate, but I think it kind of tells the same story as what’s been told if you pull up the record.”

In an audio recording released by TMZ late Friday night, Sterling allegedly can be heard scolding his girlfriend, V. Stiviano — who identifies herself as “black and Mexican” — for bringing African-Americans to Clippers games and for posting pictures of herself with African-Americans on her Instagram account.

The website printed excerpts of Sterling’s alleged discussion with her, including, “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”

He also allegedly criticized her taking a picture with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, saying, “Don’t put him [Johnson] 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 been accused of racial discrimination before, including a housing discrimination lawsuit in 2009 in which he was alleged to have attempted to evict African-Americans and Hispanics from his properties. Sterling settled the lawsuit for $2.725 million. He also has made a series of racist statements with regard to a variety of minorities, including African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians.

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NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement the league is looking into the matter.

“We are in the process of conducting a full investigation into the audio recording obtained by TMZ,” Bass said. “The remarks heard on the recording are disturbing and offensive, but at this time we have no further information.”

The NBA is expected to act swiftly in its investigation, but it remains to be seen what will be done to Sterling, provided the audio recording is proved to be him. Livingston said players around the league were curious to see how new commissioner Adam Silver — who was scheduled to hold a press conference Saturday night in Memphis — handles the situation.

“It will be interesting with the league to see what does happen,” Livingston said. “I’ll definitely kind of pay attention to what happens because it’s going to put Adam Silver in kind of a tough spot.

“Right now, they’re in a playoff series and they’ve got a chance to do some damage. It’s not the most positive news. We’ll see [what happens].”

Speaking on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” Saturday at halftime of Pacers-Hawks, analyst Charles Barkley called for Silver to immediately suspend and fine Sterling.

“This is the first test of Adam Silver,” Barkley said. “He’s got to suspend him right now. You can’t have this guy making statements like that. [Silver] has to suspend him and fine him immediately. He has to be suspended. … When you’re in a position of power, and you can take jobs and economic opportunities from people, that’s what crosses the line. We can not have an NBA owner discriminating against a league. … We’re a black league.”

The show’s host, Ernie Johnson, later added, “If it’s true, and it’s him, there’s no place in the league for Donald Sterling, in my mind.”

Magic Johnson also weighed in, saying he never will attend another Clippers game while Sterling is the team’s owner.

“TMZ reported this morning that Clippers owner Donald Sterling doesn’t want me or other African-Americans to come to Clippers games,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “[My wife] and I will never go to a Clippers game again as long as Donald Sterling is the owner.

“I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans. Sterling’s comments about African Americans are a black eye for the NBA.”