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James calls for action on Sterling but not boycott

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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NBA Players’ Association vice president Roger Mason backtracked Wednesday on his statement that Miami Heat forward LeBron James would support a boycott next season if Donald Sterling was not removed by then as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

James also stopped short of backing a boycott, saying before the Heat’s series-ending 96-94 victory over the Brooklyn Nets that he has confidence in NBA commissioner Adam Silver. But James emphasized that the league needs to continue to push for Sterling’s ouster.

Silver banned Sterling from all team activities and asked the league’s owners to vote for Sterling’s removal as Clippers owner because of his racial comments.

“The direction Adam is going, there shouldn’t be a need for (a boycott),” James said. “We trust those guys and we know that they’re going to take care of what needs to be done for our league, and we understand that it’s not going to be tomorrow. The system will not work tomorrow, but the direction they’re going – we’re all for it.”

Mason had said Tuesday during the Jim Rome Show on Showtime that James supported a boycott. But Mason turned to Twitter a day later to clarify his remarks.

“My bad if I was not clear,” Mason tweeted. “LBJ never said anything about boycotting. He’s a friend, and I would never want to imply something he didn’t say.”

Sterling and his wife, Shelly, vowed to fight to keep the team. For the NBA to strip them of their stake in the Clippers, it would require a 75 percent vote by the owners.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” James said. “We know what we want to happen, but the legal system can be a pain. The fact we have to continue to talk about this at a great time in our sport (stinks).”

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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