Clippers Players Wear Shirts Inside Out to Protest Racist Remarks

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Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers warms up before a game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on April 27 in Oakland, California.

Image: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

By Brian Anthony Hernandez2014-04-27 21:27:06 UTC

The controversy couldn't be ignored.

When ABC's broadcast of the NBA playoffs game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors started, viewers saw Clippers players wearing their warmup T-shirts inside out in solidarity against racist remarks allegedly made by team owner Donald Sterling, which were caught on tape.

A commentator during the game's first quarter revealed Clippers star player Chris Paul told her that the team discussed not participating in the game at all, but everyone instead decided to take a stand with the fashion statement.

See also: Obama, Rihanna, Snoop Respond to Clippers Owner's Alleged Racist Rant

While the NBA continues to investigate whether Sterling is the male voice on the audio recording, NBA commentators on Sunday addressed the firestorm head-on before game four playoffs game:

Players on the bench kept the warmup shirts inside out throughout the game, while Sterling's wife, Rochelle, sat courtside across from them. Donald Sterling, who has denied saying the racist remarks, did not attend the game.

Basketball fans at the game at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., also brought signs to the game to express their views on the controversy:

The backlash stems from an audio recording, first published on TMZ , in which Sterling allegedly said racist comments to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano.

The male voice on the recording said, "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?" The female replied, “You associate with black people.” The man countered, “I’m not you, and you’re not me. You’re supposed to be a delicate white or a delicate Latina girl." That prompted the woman to assert, "I’m a mixed girl … And you’re in love with me. And I’m black and Mexican whether you like it or not."

The man on the recording also said, "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 [Instagram] ... and not to bring them to my games."

In this photo taken in October 2013, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and V. Stiviano, watch the Clippers play a game.

Image: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Negative reaction to the remarks was significant on social media, with #boycottClippers trending on Twitter. Even U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the comments during a trip to Malaysia.

"When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t have to do anything, you just let them talk,” he reportedly said. “The United States continues to wrestle with legacy of race and slavery and segregation. That’s still there. We’ve made enormous strides, but you’re going to continue to see this percolate up ... We have to continue denouncing it and teach our children differently.”

Before Sunday's game, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced Sterling would no longer receive a lifetime-achievement award, which the organization had planned to honor him with in May.

"Let me make it clear: The NAACP will not be honoring Mr. Sterling at the upcoming Los Angeles branch event, and we have strongly urged our Los Angeles unit to take the necessary steps to rescind the previous award they bestowed on him,” Lorraine C. Miller, the NAACP's interim president and CEO, said in a statement.

The Clippers got off to a slow start Sunday, trailing majorly after the first quarter. When asked if the controversy was affecting his players' performances, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told a reporter after the game's first quarter, "I'm not going to use that as an excuse."

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Topics: basketball, Entertainment, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA, Sports