A new podcast series, produced by 30 for 30 Podcasts and The Undefeated, looks at the life of Donald Sterling.
His mistress secretly taped the former Los Angeles Clippers owner saying racist comments, which were eventually made public and forced Sterling to sell the team after the NBA banned him for life. Actually, his wife, Shelly, who’s a big player in this story, sold the team after having Sterling declared mentally unfit. The 2014 tapes revealed Sterling making racist comments about black people. The Sterling Affairs, reported and hosted by Ramona Shelburne, goes beyond the scandal of the racist recordings.
The five-part series examines Sterling’s rise with his real estate empire and unlikely role as the team’s owner, how a domestic drama fueled an NBA crisis and how a league in transition eventually led to players ringing in a new era. And through Sterling’s story, The Sterling Affairs explores the major themes of power and race, looking at Sterling’s upbringing, his engagement in womanizing and housing discrimination and his relationship to key players in L.A.
“The Sterling Affairs” is currently available to listen to here.
Guest:
Ramona Shelburne, host of ESPN’s new “30 for 30” podcast “The Sterling Affairs”; she is an NBA Insider for ESPN and a senior writer for ESPN.com; she tweets