Magic Johnson called Donald Sterling out on Tuesday for insinuating that Magic was plotting to take over the Clippers or had set him up.
In an interview with CNN, Johnson said after TMZ released an audio tape in which Sterling told V. Stiviano not to bring “black people” to his games Sterling actually called Johnson and was adamant that he go on Barbara Walters’ show with Sterling. He said Sterling never even apologized to him.
“How am I trying to set you up?” Johnson said in response to Sterling’s allegation that Johnson had first called him. “He called me. I took the call. His assistant called my assistant and she put him through.”
Johnson said Sterling “asked me to go on the Barbara Walters show with him.”
“I told him I wouldn’t do it,” Johnson said before noting that he told Sterling that he needed to apologize to everyone including to Johnson.
Johnson said Sterling was “adamant” that he sit next to him on Barbara Walters’ show to give him cover and he refused.
“He was adamant about me going on this show with him,” Johnson said. “And I told him no, I wouldn’t do it.”
Magic said his attorneys then advised him not to talk to Sterling, and he then called NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to tell him that Donald Sterling had called him.
“My attorneys and advisers said, look, you can’t be talking to Donald. I said, OK. So that is what happened,” he continued. “So we just called his attorney and said don’t be personally calling me, because I didn’t want him to feel that he could just call me, because he had not apologized to me.”
Johnson also said he had never met V. Stiviano and has no idea who she is.
“I never met this young lady. I took a picture with her, probably, it looked like at a Dodger game. That is it. That’s all I know of her. And then he says I’m trying to set him up,” Johnson said, echoing what V. Stiviano said on the recording when she insisted to Sterling that she did not know Magic Johnson.
The NBA banned Sterling from the league for life and Silver is trying to get 3/4 of the owners to force him to sell the Clippers. NBA players have suggested that they may boycott games if anyone associated with the Sterlings still owns the team at the start of next year.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.