In 1981, Los Angeles area real estate mogul Donald T. Sterling purchased the San Diego Clippers franchise for $12.5 million, a small sum even back then for an NBA team. Conservatively, that same franchise is now worth $575 million.
In his 33-plus years owning the Clippers, Sterling has been called pretty much every name in the book. He has endured lawsuits for discrimination and sexual harassment, heckled his own players, and most recently was caught on tape making openly racist comments to a former girlfriend. His depositions are among the most comical in the history of the legal system.
Despite the cruelty, hatred, and general wretchedness, Sterling has nevertheless managed to endure, and following the death of Jerry Buss became the longest-tenured NBA owner. His “progressiveness” in race relations has actually earned him a lifetime achievement award from the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP, where Sterling is scheduled to be honored on May 15.
We now have a new definition of irony.
With incidents spanning from the time he took the reins of the team until just yesterday, Sterling has managed to be a controversial figure for 33 consecutive years, which is no small feat. Here is a chronological look at Donald Sterling's History as a Terrible Person.
Written by Doug Sibor (@dcsibor)