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Los Angeles Clippers head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations Doc Rivers won't return to the Clippers to work under Donald Sterling next season if the owner remains in power, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rivers' departure could cause a domino effect that would lead to several top Clippers players demanding out of the organization. The Clippers have already lost a number of sponsors due to the controversy.
Sterling banned for life
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is set to address the Sterling scandal at a 2 p.m. ET press conference Tuesday. TMZ reports that NBA lawyers have authenticated the audio recording released Friday that featured a man alleged to be Sterling making numerous racist comments.
Silver has received pressure from a number of parties to take a strong stand against Sterling. Players, coaches, owners and even President Barack Obama have spoken out against Sterling, and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson called on Silver to impose a strict punishment on behalf of the National Basketball Players Association.
Wojnarowski reports that Silver is looking into a "nuclear option," which would involve the commissioner summoning a vote of owners on whether to strip Sterling of his ownership. The NBA would then own the team until the team is sold. Magic Johnson has already emerged as a prospective buyer.
The Clippers are set to play Tuesday in their first home game since the controversy broke. Clippers players have discussed making a "stronger statement" in protest against Sterling than they did during their Game 4 loss against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.