Banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling says Magic Johnson isn't a good role
model for the children of Los Angeles, making the comment to CNN in the same interview
where he also asks for forgiveness for the racist comments he made in leaked audio recordings
that surfaced last month.CNN released some details of Sterling's interview with Anderson Cooper.
In the interview, Sterling says he's talked to Johnson twice since the audio recordings became public
and is asked if he apologized to the former Los Angeles Lakers star.
"If I said anything wrong, I'm sorry," Sterling tells CNN in the interview. "He's a good person. I mean,
what am I going to say?" However, Sterling added a dig at Johnson as well. "Has he done everything
he can do to help minorities? I don't think so. But I'll say it, he's great. But I don't think he's a good
example for the children of Los Angeles," he tells CNN. Sterling also claims in the interview that he
was set up by Stiviano to make the comments.
"Well yes, I was baited," Sterling tells CNN. "I mean, that's not the way I talk. I don't talk about people
for one thing, ever. I talk about ideas and other things. I don't talk about people." The interview comes
nearly two weeks after NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling, fined him $2.5 million and
urged the other league owners to force him to sell the team.
Sterling maintains he's "not a racist" and that his comments on the audio recordings were a "terrible
mistake." "I'm a good member who made a mistake,'' Sterling tells CNN. "Am I entitled to one mistake,
am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It's
a terrible mistake, and I'll never do it again.''
Source: ESPN.com