The National Basketball League commissioner announced on Tuesday at a press conference that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life.
Commissioner Adam Silver said that in addition to being barred from attending any NBA-related activities, including games and practices, Sterling will be fined the maximum $2.5 million that the league allows and he will not be allowed to attend league owners' meetings, reports The New York Times.
Silver also said that he will ask that the board of governors do their best to force Sterling out of the league completely by getting him to sell the Clippers.
"We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," the commissioner said. "They simply have no place in the NBA."
At the press conference, Silver said that Sterling admitted that the audio tapes containing racist comments that surfaced over the weekend were indeed of his voice.
Backlash against Sterling has continued to poor out since TMZ released the tapes that V. Stiviano, his girlfriend, allegedly recorded. Speaking on CBS This Morning, Oprah Winfrey said that something had to be done and that Sterling has "a plantation mentality in the 21st century, in 2014."
It was also revealed on Monday that Clippers coach Doc Rivers has refused to speak with Sterling. Rivers noted that he "took a pass" when the owner reached out to talk with him. He also wouldn't say if he would return next year if Sterling remained the owner.
Companies have also pulled or suspended their sponsorship of the team. CarMax and Virgin American, among others, immediately pulled their sponsorship, while State Farm and Kia were willing to wait to find out whether the racist comments were truly from Sterling.
They'll likely end their relationship now that Silver has confirmed that it was indeed Sterling's voice questioning why his girlfriend was publicly hanging out with minorities.