Earvin "Magic" Johnson speaks out about Sterling controversy - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina

After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced he had banned LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life, NBA Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson spoke to TV5 about the news.

"It's a great day for the United States. It's a great day for the NBA. It's a great day for all people of all races, especially African-Americans and Latinos too," Johnson said.

Sterling was banned for life after an audio recording of him making racist comments was made public this past weekend. He was also charged with a $2.5 million fine.

"I'm just happy that the Commissioner Adam Silver came down hard and showed that we can't let people get away with it, even if you're an owner," Johnson said. "I hope that the fans now return to the Clippers' games and there won't be no boycotting and all those types of things that were planned."

Johnson said Silver's decision to ban Sterling for life is going to let the players and everybody else in the NBA move forward.

"Because my life has been affected the last three days… hopefully we can all move on and hopefully God will bless (Sterling) too," Johnson said.

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