Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne And More React To Donald Sterling Racism Allegations
Several celebrities have expressed their shock and disgust over the alleged racist comments by LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling with Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and even President Barack Obama among those who have reacted.
Sterling, who is currently the longest-serving NBA owner having purchased the Clippers team in 1981, is accused of making racial slurs against black people in an explosive conversation allegedly of him with his girlfriend V Stiviano, which leaked over the weekend.
Rihanna is among the celebrities who have reacted to the Donald Sterling racist scandal (Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com)
In the audio clips, a male, whose voice is said to be that of Sterling’s, can be heard telling Stiviano that she should not bring black people to the games at which the Clippers are playing and can be heard demanding that she remove photos of black people from her Instagram page.
Clippers star Matt Kemp becomes part of the focus of the conversation when Stiviano, who is half Mexican and half African-American, explains that she has left the basketball player’s photo on her account as he is of mixed race. Stiviano can also be heard pointing out that the majority of the Clippers team are black.
Sterling’s alleged comments have outraged America and prompted reactions from political figures, rappers, singers and other celebrities.
‘Diamonds’ singer Rihanna reposted a number of photos on Instagram from other users who have made light of the scandal over the weekend, along with a sad face by each image.
Snoop Dogg posted a rather explosive, foul-mouthed video on Instagram using a number of expletives and insults to describe the Clippers boss, clearly outraged at Sterling’s alleged comments.
YMCMB star Lil Wayne can be seen talking about the scandal in a video posted on YouTube, which isn’t as x-rated as Snoop’s.
“This is dedicated to the motherf**ker Donald Sterling,” he begins.
“First of all, I’m going to sum it up for everybody that I believe feel this way, I’m going to sum it up for everybody on my side of the field, on my side of the gate and I think you know what I mean when I say that.
Donald Sterling is accused of making racist remarks in a conversation with his girlfriend (FayesVision/WENN)
“F**k you. That simple, that easy. If I was a Clipper fan, I wouldn’t be one anymore. It’s that simple. If I was a Clipper player – a current Clipper player – you wouldn’t see me on that court anymore, in that uniform. An apology wouldn’t do for me, it wouldn’t work for me. A team meeting wouldn’t work for me.”
He adds: “I’d stand up for myself and I’d understand that pride and respect isn’t a team sport.”
Rapper Meek Mill wrote a series of tweets reacting to the scandal, including: “Donald sterling is the definition of racism …. He could b your judge…. Your doctor…..you teacher etc… I bet nothing happens 2 him!”
Perhaps the most notable reaction comes from the POTUS himself, Obama, who said while at an event in Malaysia that the comments were “incredibly offensive racist statements.”
He added: “The United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation that’s still there; the vestiges of discrimination. We’ve made enormous strides, but you’re going to continue to see this percolate up every so often.
“And I think that we just have to be clear and steady in denouncing it, teaching our children differently, but also remaining hopeful that part of why statements like this stand out so much is because there has been this shift in how we view ourselves.”
Comedian Kevin Hart also threatened to boycott future Clippers games as long as Sterling was still the owner, tweeting: “The owner of the CLIPPERS is a flat out racist and will never see a dime of my money!!! Donald Sterling is disgusting…this s**t is sad.”
LA Lakers player Kobe Bryant simply stated: “I couldn’t play for him.”
Sterling has since released a statement appearing to claim that he is not the man in the audio clip.
