Basketball fans cheered the NBA’s decision Tuesday to exile 80-year-old LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling over his recorded racism.
“You don’t just say things like that in this day and age. It’s 2014,” said Nets fan William Ross, 58, of Harlem.
“It was very disturbing to hear. I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and mad. It just goes to show how ignorant he is even at his age.”
Kerrydon Mark, 31, of Brooklyn, called banning Sterling for life “the right decision.”
“For a man in his position — with stature and money, who should be a role model — to make racist comments that were heard around the world, he should have been banned,” said Mark, a Miami Heat fan.
Tahi Gilliam, 39, of Westchester, said Sterling “should lose everything.”
“It’s a very good decision that will restore our hope in the NBA,” she said.
“If I find out he still has sponsors, I’ll boycott them. He should stand alone.”
Dereck Lugo, 34, of Westchester, also said he wanted other team owners to force Sterling out.
“They’ve swept him under the rug for years — it’s about time,” said Lugo, a Knicks fan.
Rodney Woodruff, 45, of Westchester, said Sterling’s remarks were “terrible,” but added: “I feel bad for him, because he’s 80 and he sounds infantile.”
“He says, ‘This is how I grew up, this is my culture.’ He’s blaming society for his racism. It’s cowardly,” said Woodruff, a Chicago native and Bulls fan.
Stephen Doyle, 57, of Westchester, said he wouldn’t stop supporting the Clippers because Sterling’s rant “doesn’t have to do with basketball; it’s a racial incident.
“This should be dealt with the same way whether it’s in the workplace or sports. You have to take a stand against it.”