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LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers talked to Ernie Johnson in a wide-ranging interview on Monday, and with Doc, there were plenty of good stories. Perhaps the most candid was Rivers admitting he was “blindsided” about former Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s conduct before taking the job, and that he thought he could overcome any bumps.
“There [were] so many things that were bad about Donald Sterling, coming in, and my ego — I can admit that — my ego thought, ok, I can turn this franchise [around]. This is the worst franchise in sports, and I can do this. This would be my ultimate goal. If I can turn this organization around and we become a champion, this would be the ultimate challenge. And I honestly thought it was a great challenge, and I’ll be honest to you, within weeks of taking the job, I knew I was in trouble. I knew I had made a mistake.”
Wow! It gets even crazier:
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers tells Ernie Johnson he threatened to quit after he was told Donald Sterling did not like white players and didn’t want to go forward with terms that were agreed to with them free agent JJ Redick. Sterling eventually relented.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) May 18, 2020
The bulk of the Clippers discussion comes after the 31-minute mark. It’s a good discussion, as Doc interviews tend to be, and you can watch it all here.
#NBATogether with Ernie Johnson (@TurnerSportsEJ) begins now with NBA Champion and Head Coach of the @LAClippers, @DocRivers. https://t.co/sjcy3rxHGh
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2020
More news for Tuesday:
- Get your Blackballed content: The documentary on Quibi launched Monday, and Sabreena discusses and reviews the first three episodes here. Episode 4 drops Tuesday on the new app.
- Sports! maybe coming back to California: The big news around the newsroom Monday was California governor Gavin Newsom announcing professional sports could get the go-ahead to play behind closed-doors and with enhanced precautionary measures taken throughout as early as the beginning of June. That’s if the state’s coronavirus infection rates continue to decline. You can read more on Sactown Royalty.
- Draft process still in talks: Tim Bontemps reported over at ESPN the Draft Lottery will likely remain the same for the next draft, whenever it is, and teams are starting to decide what they’ll do about a player combine. The NBA Draft hasn’t been postponed yet, but it is expected to be.
- MJ never even lets his kids win: As a parent, I tend not to let my kid win when we play games because I want her to earn it (and she does sometimes!). Apparently I fit the philosophy of perhaps the most competitive person on the planet, Michael Jordan. His daughter Jasmine told The Undefeated she has never beaten her father at anything in her life.