FX has released a trailer for a new series about former Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s scandalous ouster from the NBA and the Almighty Good God. I can’t wait to see this.
The series centers on a 2014 incident in which Sterling was caught on tape making racist remarks. The star-studded cast includes the legendary Ed O’Neill as Starling;
Laurence Fishburne also gives a captivating performance in the brief time he appears in the trailer as Doc Rivers, then the head coach of the Clippers.
Whoever decided to turn this almost forgotten chapter of NBA history into a series 10 years after the incident took place was a genius. I’m a Clippers fan, and I still remember the impact the Clippers had around the league like it was yesterday.
For those who don’t remember, Sterling’s aide, a woman named V. Stiviano, got mad at him and recorded her saying some pretty nasty things about black people.
“It bothers me so much that you want to tell the world that you’re dating a black person. Should you do that?” Sterling asked her during the recording.
At the time, the Clippers were essentially relevant for the first time in franchise history. After the NBA voided a trade that was supposed to send them to crosstown rivals the Lakers in the 11th hour, they drafted high-flying Dunktacular spectacle star Blake Griffin, followed by point god Chris Paul. also acquired. Adding another dunk champion, DeAndre Jordan, to center field, the Clippers’ “Lob City” era was born.
In 2013, the team brought in Doc Rivers to lead the team after the team won the championship in Boston. L.A. has a star-studded roster, and the expectation was that he might do the same there.
But Sterling’s bombshell completely overshadowed the on-court scene, sparking weeks of debate throughout the league about race relations and the dynamics of wealthy white lawyers who own teams made up of mostly black players. involved in. The show’s trailer hints at that dynamic with an intense scene in which Fishburne’s Rivers argues with O’Neal’s Sterling over the phone.
“I’m your owner!” O’Neal shouts. “You’re not my owner!” Fishburne replies.
The NBA permanently banned Sterling from the league in 2014 and forced him to sell the team, which he ultimately did. pawn The franchise was sold to Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer for a whopping $2 billion. (Related: Steve Ballmer reportedly open to future changes to Clippers name and logo)
I cannot overstate how insane this story was as it unfolded at the time. I just hope the show does it justice.
FX’s “Clipped” arrives on the network and Hulu on June 6th. I can’t wait.
