NBA

NBA Commish Adam Silver made the announcement Tuesday ... saying the NBA will also fine Sterling $2.5 million ... and insists, "I will do everything in my power" to "force" Sterling to sell the Clippers.

Silver says he does not know if Sterling will fight the lifetime ban -- but says he has the full support of the NBA owners.

"I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him," Silver said.

Silver says he spoke to several players, coaches and owners before deciding on the lifetime ban.

As for the ban, Sterling will not be allowed to attend any NBA games or practices ever again ... and will not be permitted inside any team facilities.

The $2.5 million fine will be donated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts.

Silver says the ban will only pertain to Donald -- and not to his family members.

During the news conference, Silver said he was "personally outraged" by Sterling's comments.

Silver says ... during the investigation, Sterling confirmed he made the racist comments.

Silver noted, "The hateful opinions are those of Mr. Sterling. The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Sterling told V. Stiviano he did not want her to bring black people to Clippers games, including Magic Johnson.

Magic has tweeted that he is "very happy and satisfied" with Silver's decision.

State Farm -- one of the Clippers' biggest sponsors -- tells TMZ Sports they're happy Donald Sterling has been banned for life ... but they're not ready to get back into business with the Clips ... yet.

We broke the story ... State Farm decided to "take a pause" in its relationship with the Clippers in the wake of the Sterling audio.

So, we reached out to the insurance titan today to see if SF would rekindle things with the team now that Sterling is gone for good -- and they told us, they need more time before running back to the blue and red.

"At this time, we are continuing the pause of our sponsorship of the Clippers organization as we evaluate this ongoing situation," a rep tells us.

State Farm notes they "applaud and support" Adam Silver's decision -- say they're especially proud of the way State Farm spokesperson Chris Paul has handled himself over the past few days.

The L.A. Clippers organization made a huge statement on its official website in the wake of the announcement that Donald Sterling is banned for life from the NBA ... saying simply, "We Are One."

Unclear who made the decision to post the message on the team website, since Sterling is no longer calling the shots.

It's not just the sponsors, now a famous L.A. clothing store says it's done with the Clippers too -- pulling all team merchandise off the shelves as long as Donald Sterling owns the team.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Kitson LA has decided to stop selling Clips items, effective immediately -- telling us, "We love our LA teams – the fans, the players, and the franchise -- but we cannot support the sale of an item that leads to Donald Sterling profiting in any way."

Donald Sterling's wife got REALLY close with her husband's alleged mistress back in 2011 ... before Shelly suspected anything ... and TMZ Sports has the photo to prove it.

Oprah Winfrey just came out firing at Donald Sterling -- telling TMZ Sports, "We're off the plantation! The plantation days are over!"

The Big O just broke her silence on the Sterling situation while leaving CBS in NYC -- and told us the ideal resolution would be for Magic Johnson to take over the Clips ... "That would be really cool."

But despite the impact of the Sterling story -- and the fact President Obama even weighed in -- Oprah says it's not the biggest story of her lifetime ... that distinction goes to ANOTHER big case involving a huge sports star.

Two NBA lawyers left the law firm representing V. Stiviano Monday ... and sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Sports ... the lawyers are now convinced -- the racist audio of Donald Sterling is REAL.

NBA lawyer David Anders and another NBA lawyer went to the law office of Mac Nehoray Monday afternoon. Stiviano was also there for the purpose of authenticating the audio.

We're told there was NO doubt by anyone the recording is the real deal. The NBA lawyers heard the 15 minutes that have been made public, but not the remaining 45. And we're told ... based on conversations along with analysis ... they're satisfied about authenticity.

Neither Stiviano nor Anders had comments for our photog as they left the building.

TMZ Sports has also learned ... people who have heard the entire recording say there is "NO DOUBT" Donald Sterling KNEW he was being recorded.

L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling told his GF he does NOT want her bringing black people to his games ... including Magic Johnson ... and it's ALL on tape.

TMZ Sports has obtained audio of Sterling making the racist declaration during a heated argument on April 9th with V. Stiviano ... after she posted a photo on Instagram posing with Magic.

Sterling rails on Stiviano -- who ironically is black and Mexican -- for putting herself out in public with a black person (she has since taken the pic down). But it doesn't end there. You have to listen to the audio to fully grasp the magnitude of Sterling's racist worldview. Among the comments:

-- "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?" (3:30)

-- "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games." (5:15)

-- "I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people." (7:45)

-- "...Don't put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games." (9:13)

Sterling has a documented history of allegedly racist behavior -- he's been sued twice by the federal government for allegedly refusing to rent apartments to Blacks and Latinos.

He was also sued by former Clippers exec Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination -- though a jury was ultimately not convinced and shot down Baylor's case.

Sterling has been separated from his wife Shelly for years. She remains a key player in running the team and sources tell us she's "mortified" by Sterling's comments.

We have made several calls to Sterling and his people ... so far, no word back.

Donald Sterling's son-in-law, Director of Basketball Administration for the Clippers who helps run the day-to-day operation of the team, tells TMZ Sports what his father-in-law did is ignorant and racist ... and if that costs him his job ... so be it.

Here are the words of his son-in-law Eric Miller:

"I find the statements and representations made by the Clippers' team owner to be deplorable and disgusting. There is no room in sports or society in general, for racism."

Miller goes on: "I pledge my full support for the wonderful players, coaches and staff members of the Clippers organization. I have complete faith that Commissioner Silver will deal with this matter swiftly and severely."

And then Miller says, "If these comments should happen to cost me my employment with the team, it is but a small price to pay to speak out against ignorance and racism."

Donald Sterling just can't catch a break ... now, the embattled Clippers owner is being sued by a woman who claims she was badly injured in a parking lot he owns.

Roselee Fagan filed a lawsuit in L.A. claiming she was walking through a parking structure in Hollywood back in February when she tripped on an uneven concrete service and fell down ... causing "severe and permanent physical and bodily injuries."

Fagan also claims the lighting in the structure sucked and created a hazard ... and blames Sterling for not posting a sign warning people to watch out for uneven surfaces.

The entire Miami Heat basketball team is warming up with their shirts inside out ... to show their support for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Everyone from Chris Bosh to Dwyane Wade and even LeBron James took part in the display of solidarity that took place in Charlotte before they took on the Bobcats.

Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen just joined a growing number of white NBA execs finally blasting Donald Sterling -- calling his racist rant unacceptable in pro sports.

The Microsoft co-founder (and multi-billionaire) said, "The kind of statements attributed to Clippers owner Donald Sterling, if true, are abhorrent, and not acceptable for the owner of an NBA franchise."

Allen added, "We at the Trail Blazers reject any and all such sentiments."

Earlier today ... Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said, "Hate speech demonstrates an ignorance that is unacceptable, and I implore all of us to help eliminate any form of discrimination."

Before today ... Michael Jordan was the only owner to speak out against Sterling's comments.

So much for V. Stiviano's claims she was NEVER Donald Sterling's girlfriend ... her own court documents say she was a prop to show off the Clippers owner's "sexual prowess."

TMZ broke the story, Stiviano has been denying she was ever Sterling's girlfriend -- telling people she was simply his "archivist" for years and things never progressed beyond work-related interactions.

But Stiviano says the opposite in new court docs -- claiming she's been Sterling's sexy sidepiece for 4 years, much to the mortification of Sterling's wife Shelly.

The documents -- filed this month in connection with Shelly's lawsuit against V. claiming she duped Donald into showering her with more than $2 mil in gifts -- say the relationship between V. and Donald was "neither [a] hidden, closeted, nor a clandestine 'affair' at any time," adding it was "open notorious, obvious and long standing."

The woman scolded by Donald Sterling for publicly associating with African Americans was arrested for DUI ... with a black celeb in the passenger seat ... TMZ Sports has learned.

V. Stiviano was arrested in 2012 for drunk driving in Los Angeles. Her passenger was Brandon Mychal Smith ... who starred in Disney's "Sonny with a Chance."

Stiviano was driving the red Ferrari that Sterling gave her and which is now the subject of a lawsuit where Shelly Sterling claims V. deceived the old man into giving her more than $2 mil in gifts.

Coincidentally ... today is the day she has to prove to a court she did her community service.

Stiviano pled no contest to reckless driving and was put on 3 years probation ... which means she's still on the hook.

The NBA owners can NOT band together to force Donald Sterling to sell the Los Angeles Clippers ... multiple well-connected league sources tell TMZ Sports.

We're told ... the NBA has the power to fine and suspend Sterling for the racist comments he made during a conversation posted on TMZSports.com, but neither the owners nor the league can force a sale.

Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso says he's ready and willing to buy the L.A. Clippers if Donald Sterling gets the boot -- telling TMZ Sports he already has a team of investors ready to pounce.

Caruso -- who made a run to purchase the L.A. Dodgers back in 2012 -- tells us ... "If [The Clippers] become available, I would absolutely be interested."

Rick notes, "We have a group still together from when we looked at the Dodgers ... and if it makes sense, I'll take a shot at it."

While Sterling has not expressed any plans to sell the Clips, Caruso believes it's something D.S. absolutely HAS to do ... for the sake of the players, the fans and the league.

Caruso says he knows there will be a lot of people looking to buy the squad, but believes he's in a strong position to make the deal ... if it becomes available.