The racist remarks attributed to Clippers owner Donald Sterling are nothing new to Elton Brand.
The Hawks center played seven seasons for the Clippers. The latest issue came to light with the discovery of audio tapes in which a man said to be Sterling makes a number of racist comments about African-Americans.
“It’s just sad,” Brand said Monday. “It’s just disgusting all the way around. I know social media makes it available instantly and people can react but there have been allegations for many, many years and nothing has been done.
“It’s sad that I know that (Sterling) isn’t the only person in a power position that feels that way. It’s unfortunate.”
Brand said he had limited dealings with Sterling during his time in Los Angeles. He said the owner would come around after games “when we won.”
The NBA has scheduled a 2 p.m. press conference for Tuesday in New York when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will address the league’s investigation of Sterling.
Hawks ownership spoke to the team following the release of the recordings, according to Brand. He said ownership made it clear that the Hawks owners and the NBA would not tolerate such speech.
“The alleged comments made by Donald Sterling are ignorant, offensive and very disturbing and have no place in our society,” Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson said Saturday night.
The NBA Players Association has enlisted the help of Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former player, in resolving the situation.
“Mayor Kevin Johnson was correct when he said that this is a defining moment for our league and that Sterling should be given the maximum penalty for his comments,” Levenson later said. “I strongly believe that the league has to have a zero-tolerance policy against racism and discrimination in any form and I have faith that Commissioner Adam Silver will act in what’s in the best interest of the league. I have expressed these views to Adam and my fellow owners.”
Dominique Wilkins is also familiar with Sterling. He played one season for the Clippers near the end of his career. Wilkins said he reached out to friend and former teammate Doc Rivers, the current Clippers coach, as the team wages its playoff series with the Warriors.
“I told Doc this: ‘Hang in there, buddy. Don’t let the ignorance of one person stop you guys from being who you are,’” Wilkins said. “I said, ‘You’ve got to take advantage of an opportunity to go out and play and win. At the end of the day, that is what this is all about. It’s not about him. You can boycott. You can send any kind of message you want. At the end of the day, it’s not about him. He is who he is. He disgraced himself and he is going to continue to do it. Why feed into the bull?’ I said, ‘Win.’”
For Monday night’s Game 5 of the Hawks-Pacers playoff series, Hawks wore black socks, as a sign of solidarity with Clippers players. Players for the Rockets and Trail Blazers all wore black socks in their game Sunday night as a show of support.
Game 6 update: Game 6 will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday and will be televised nationally by NBA TV. Fox Sports South will broadcast the game locally. The time and station were set after the Clippers-Warriors series was guaranteed a Game 6.
Horford on trip: Al Horford accompanied the Hawks to Indianapolis to continue his rehabilitation from a torn right pectoral muscle with the team's training staff. Horford will not return for the postseason.
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