Donald Sterling’s NBA ban supported by daughter of ex-Sterling tenant

The daughter of one of the tenants who filed a housing discrimination lawsuit against Donald Sterling in 2003 spoke out in support of the NBA’s decision to ban the embattled Clippers owner for life.

During a teary news conference Ebony Jones, the daughter of Kandynce Jones, one of the plaintiffs in a 2003 lawsuit against Sterling, said she “felt it was important to know what happened 11 years ago” when making a decision about Sterling’s future in the league.

“We think that the time is long overdue for him to be held fully accountable for his misconduct and we are glad that the NBA can help do so by imposing appropriate penalties on Mr. Sterling, including stripping him of Clippers franchise ownership rights,” said Jones’ lawyer, Gloria Allred, reading from a letter sent to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

“Ms. Jones and I fully support your sanctions of Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the wake of his racist comments. As the NBA weighs further action, including forcing Mr. Sterling’s sale of the Clippers, we believe that the NBA should consider his callous racist conduct in the case of Kandynce Jones,” Allred said.

Ebony Jones said no reason was given when the building manager at the Sterling-owned property on 445 S. Ardmore Ave. where her mother lived asked her to leave shortly after Sterling took over the building in 2002. Her mother paid her rent on time and kept her apartment clean, Ebony Jones said, but Sterling wanted to replace African Americans with “tenants that fit his image.”

She also said Sterling did not make minor repairs to items like the stove, ice box, dishwasher and toilet in her mother’s apartment, which led to poor living conditions. Kandynce Jones died while the lawsuit was ongoing and Ebony Jones took her place in the depositions. She declined to state whether she was a beneficiary in the settlement of the case. Jones has not filed a new lawsuit, but is offering her assistance to the NBA in any further investigation into Donald Sterling, Allred said.

Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, who was also listed in the lawsuit, has said she will fight to keep the team. Jones declined to comment on Shelly Sterling’s claim to the team’s ownership.

Allred also addressed Donald Sterling’s comments in excerpts of a CNN interview in which he apologized for racially charged remarks about African Americans he made in a recording released two weeks ago.

He rhetorically asked whether he was entitled to “one mistake” in a plea to the league and other owners.

“The problem is that he has not had just one mistake,” Allred said. “What he said should not be viewed in isolation. What he allowed to happen to the mother of Ebony Jones was not a mistake. It was an outrage and this must also be considered by the NBA.”