Yesterday, Donald Sterling dug a deeper hole for himself by trashing Magic Johnson and making a new round of racist remarks. Obviously, Johnson wasn’t pleased about Sterling questioning his contributions to the black community and criticizing him for contracting HIV, and on Tuesday, he responded in an interview with Anderson Cooper. “I just feel sorry for him. I really do. It’s sad,” Johnson said. “The problem is, he is living in the Stone Ages. He can’t make those comments about African-Americans or Latinos. He just can’t do it.”
Aside from the inflammatory remarks, Johnson said Sterling completely misrepresented their conversations, his relationship with V. Stiviano, and his alleged plot to buy the Clippers. “If I was going to trick somebody, deceive somebody, be dishonest to somebody, steal somebody’s franchise, it is going to be the Los Angeles Lakers,” Johnson joked.
Johnson said he’s met Sterling about four times, but they only talked basketball. He described Stiviano as one of “millions of people” he’s been photographed with, but said he doesn’t recall meeting her. “I don’t know the young lady, barely know Donald,” said Johnson. “So now I’m caught in the middle of this love affair or whatever they have.”
While Sterling claims that Johnson called him after the scandal broke and told him not to comment, Johnson says it was Sterling who called him, and asked if he would sit by his side during a Barbara Walters interview. “I told him I wouldn’t do it,” said Johnson. “I said, the number one thing you need to do, which you haven’t done, is apologize to everybody and myself.” He says Sterling responded, “I will get to that. I will get to that.” Sterling publicly apologized during Monday’s interview, but has yet to offer a personal apology to Johnson. “When I saw that interview, it is sad. It really is,” said Johnson. “I’m going to pray for this young man. I hope Donald can see the mistake that he has made, and also the people he has hurt along the way.”
