Donald Sterling scandal: Elgin Baylor says “justice is served”

Elgin Baylor did not need to hear audio tapes where Donald Sterling continuously disparaged black people to know he is a racist.

As the Clippers’ former general manager, Baylor reported witnessing the embattled Clippers owner exhibiting such behavior that he filed a racial discrimination lawsuit five years ago. Baylor’s case was thrown out in court, but he argued the racially insensitive remarks Sterling recently made on a leaked audio tape validates his accusations.

“Justice has been served,” Baylore said in an appearance with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “They know what Donald is like. The things I said before about Donald are absolutely true.”

Baylor said many things.

He likened Sterling of having the mindset of a Southern plantation owner. Baylor reported Sterling bringing girlfriends into the Clippers’ locker room and making comments about what he called the players’ “beautiful black bodies.” Baylor recalled Sterling wishing he fielded an all-black team with a Southern coach, likening the relationship with former slaves and a plantation owner. Baylor also said Sterling would ask him to go to the inner city to see if there were any talented black kids he could sign cheaply to play for the Clippers.

“When I first heard it, it just brought back memories of some of the things that were said by Donald,” Baylor said. “It didn’t surprise me at all. That’s the Donald Sterling I know. He says a lot of things and has different mood swings. You never know what he’s going to say or do.”

Yet, Baylor said Sterling remained fully cognizant of his beliefs.

“He’s an intelligent man and great businessman,” Baylor said of Sterling. “I’m sure he’s aware of what he’s doing and what he’s saying. There’s times I would say things to him that he shouldn’t say certain things that he would say or do. I wold express my opinion.”

And that entailed Baylor arguing that Sterling is a racist.

“Of course he is. There’s no doubt in my mind now,” Baylore said. “At the time, I thought it then. I think now that he is.”


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