In this Nov. 12, 2010, file photo, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling, right, sits with his wife Rochelle during the Clippers NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Los Angeles. AP
LOS ANGELES— In his first public comments since being banned for life from the NBA, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling apologized for racist comments captured on tape, saying they were a “terrible mistake.”
In the interview taped Sunday and set to air Monday with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Sterling says he’s “not a racist,” he loves the league, his partners and believes he’s “entitled to one mistake” after more than three decades as an owner.
The interview came nearly two weeks after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for his comments, fined him $2.5 million and urged the other league owners to force him to sell the team.
Sterling said he waited to make a public apology because he was “emotionally distraught” and he didn’t know how to correct his mistake.
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