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Donald Sterling's Wife Calls Husband's Views 'Despicable'

Shelly Sterling says the Clippers owner's opinions do not match her own.

The wife of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling wants to make it clear that his allegedly racist views are not shared by her nor her family.

"Our family is devastated by the racist comments made by my estranged husband,” Shelly Sterling said in a statement to TMZ. “My children and I do not share these despicable views or prejudices. We will not let one man's small mindedness poison the spirit of the fans and accomplishments of the team in the city we love. We are doing everything in our power to stand by and support our Clippers team."

Shelly Sterling traveled with the Clippers on Sunday and vowed to continue to do so during the playoffs.

“I am not a racist ... the team is the most important thing to my family,” she told ESPN.

The Clippers' players walked onto the Oracle Arena court Sunday wearing their warm-up shirts inside out to not show the team name Clippers in protest of Sterling’s alleged remarks. Clippers players also wore black socks and black armbands as part of their protest. They wound up losing to the Golden State Warriors, 118-97. The Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets players donned black socks in their Sunday night playoff game to show support of the Clippers in playing through their owner’s racist remarks. 

To say that the Clippers were preoccupied by the news of Sterling’s alleged remarks would be an understatement. On Saturday, TMZ released a conversation between Sterling and his then-girlfriend V. Stiviano before Deadspin.com released an extended 15-minute version of the racially charged exchange on Sunday.

On the recording, a man believed to be Sterling can be heard making reprehensible comments such as, “Don’t bring Black people [to Clippers’ games], and don’t come” and “I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have… Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?”

Mac E. Nehoray, Stiviano's attorney, told TMZ that the recording of Sterling is “in fact legitimate.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to make some kind of league announcement regarding Sterling on Tuesday afternoon.

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 (Photo: UPI/Jim Ruymen /LANDOV)

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