FX's new sports drama series Clipped recounts the downfall of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling thanks to his assistant, V. Stiviano.
V. Stiviano & Donald Sterling Drama Explained
Donald Sterling purchased the Clippers in 1981 for $12 million and owned them for over three decades. The franchise was then sold to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in May 2014 for $2 billion, the highest price ever paid for an NBA team at the time.
At a 2010 Super Bowl party, Sterling met V. Stiviano (born Maria Vanessa Perez). Stiviano, who came from a poor background and would one day become the assistant and self-proclaimed right-hand man to Sterling.
After developing early Alzheimer's symptoms, Stiviano began recording her conversations with Sterling, which ultimately led to his downfall after catching racist remarks from the Clippers owner on tape in 2014.
In April 2014, Stiviano recorded Sterling making racist comments regarding NBA legend Magic Johnson, which were leaked to TMZ. These comments sparked his downfall and forced him to sell the team just one month later in May.
Via TMZ, Sterling made comments to Stiviano (who is black and Mexican herself) criticizing her for associating with black people and bringing them to his NBA games, even mentioning Magic Johnson by name.
Where Are V. Stiviano & Donald Sterling Today?
V. Stiviano has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent years. Her last sighting came in December 2019 as paparazzi caught her attending the 4th Annual Holiday Gala to Benefit Children Hospital Los Angeles.
In terms of her last interaction with the press, that came in speaking to TMZ in 2018 where she discussed Roseanne Barr's firing from her sitcom series. Stiviano spoke on how "everyone's a little bit racist:"
"Everyone’s making such a big deal over every small little thing. No one has freedom of speech anymore! No one can say what they feel because if they do, they’re gonna lose their job. Everyone’s a little bit racist."
With regard to Sterling's fate, despite losing his public image in 2014, he remains rich, with an estimated net worth of around $4 billion (via Forbes).
He remains married to Rochelle Stein, who he married in 1955, meaning the couple has now been wed for almost 70 years by now.
New episodes of Clipped will premiere on Hulu every Tuesday until the sixth and final episode debuts on Tuesday, July 2.
