The miniseries “Clipped” on Disney+ examines the scandal surrounding former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014. Sterling was banned for life from the NBA after audio recordings of his racist remarks were leaked to the media.
The series features an all-star cast, including Ed O'Neill as Sterling and Laurence Fishburne as Clippers coach Doc Rivers. A “clip” depicts the events leading up to the scandal and the subsequent consequences for Sterling and the basketball team.
The creators of the series tried to capture the essence of the inflammatory issue that shook the NBA and received significant attention in the media. Across six episodes, Sterling's fall from the top of basketball and the complex relationships between the parties involved are depicted.
Mixed reception for the series
Despite its impressive cast, Clipped received a mixed reception from critics. Many point out that the series fails to do full justice to the scandal compared to the extensive media coverage the case received in 2014.
“Clipped” attempts to balance entertainment with serious topics like racism and abuse of power. The series examines Sterling's controversial behavior and attitudes, as well as the dynamic between him, his wife Shelley, and his lover, Stiviano.
Critics believe that the series sometimes succeeds in highlighting important issues, but it also becomes very superficial and caricatured in its presentation. Some scenes are highlighted as strong, especially those involving Laurence Fishburne as Doc Rivers.
Los Angeles Clippers scandal
In 2014, the Los Angeles Clippers were rocked by a major controversy involving the team's then-owner, Donald Sterling. The scandal began when an audio recording was leaked to the public, in which Sterling is heard talking to his lover in Stiviano. In the recording, Sterling can be heard making several racist statements. Among other things, he criticized Stiviano for posting photos on social media in which she was with African-American men, and asked her not to bring them to Clippers games.
The audio recording received immediate and widespread media attention, and led to significant public and private reactions. Many players, coaches, and other NBA teams showed their disgust and protested in various ways. For example, Clippers players put their warm-up clothes in a pile and turned their warm-up jerseys inside out to hide the Clippers logo as a form of protest before a playoff game shortly after it was unveiled.
The NBA reacted strongly to Sterling's behavior. Adam Silver, who recently took over as NBA commissioner, banned Sterling for life from all NBA-related business. Sterling Silver also paid to sell the team. This led to legal battles involving Sterling's wife, Shelley, who eventually took charge of the Clippers sale. Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, bought the team for a record $2 billion, one of the most expensive deals in the sports world at the time.
sources: AOL, USA Today, RollingStone, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times and ESPN
The case is written with artificial intelligence
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