If Anderson Cooper‘s one-on-one sit down with Donald Sterling on “Anderson Cooper 360″ proved anything, it’s that the Clippers’ owner has too much money to care about truly changing his outlook on minorities. The disgraced billionaire had the following to say about Magic Johnson:
If I said anything wrong, I’m sorry,” Sterling responded. “He’s a good person. I mean, what am I going to say? 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.
Johnson’s HIV activism and partnerships with AIDS organizations to lower statistics in the black community isn’t enough?
He also attempted to clean up his much-publicized racially insensitive remarks on the audio leaked by girlfriend V. Stiviano, telling Cooper, “When I listen to that tape, I don’t even know how I can say words like that…. I don’t know why the girl had me say those things,” he said. “I was baited … 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.” He continued:
“I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” he said. “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.”
He added, “I’m not a racist. I made a terrible mistake.” Which may make viewers wonder, what exactly Sterling considers to be a mistake about the lengthy voice mail message left to V. Stiviano – the fact that he said anything at all or that he was caught and banned for life from NBA games? We’re willing to bet this is not the last of Sterling’s outrageous remarks.
Magic Johnson has been fairly quiet on the matter since his tweets about Sterling’s first batch of remarks declaring that he and wife Cookie would never patronize another LA Clippers game with Sterling as owner. But yesterday, he addressed the matter on Twitter, seemingly for the last time:
After this week, no more Sterling talk. Just the NBA Playoffs, my @Dodgers and my @LA_Sparks!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 13, 2014