Known mainly for his comedic roles, Married with Children and Modern Family star Ed O’Neill will play disgraced former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the FX limited series The Sterling Affair, Deadline reports. The Donald Sterling scandal dominated headlines in 2014 and resulted in a lifetime ban from the NBA for him and a $2.5 million fine by the league after racist comments privately made to his mistress V. Stiviano were publicly released by the celebrity website TMZ. The recordings catapulted the NBA universe, plays and fans alike into a dizzying tailspin.
Also starring opposite Ed O’Neill in the six-episode FX drama is Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver as Sterling’s wife Shelly and Laurence Fishburne, fresh off his run with the ABC comedy hit Black-ish. The series is based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast hosted by Ramona Shelburne.
FX Series Will Shine Huge Spotlight on LA Clippers’ Past Controversy
Hailed for playing forceful characters, it may not be so jarring to see Fishburne intensely playing the part of Clippers coach Doc Rivers. However, O’Neill fans may be in for a surprising treat even though this will not be his first time cast in a dramatic role. O’Neill has occasionally taken on such parts on shows like The West Wing and the 2003 reboot of Dragnet.
The Sterling Affair tells the behind-the-scenes story of Doc Rivers’ mission to win a championship during the impending downfall of the team’s owner. From the publicized audio, Sterling could be heard in his conversation with Stiviano as saying:
“It bothers me a lot that you want to promote, broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”
Stiviano, who identifies as Black and Mexican descent, replied:
“Do you know that you have a whole team that’s black, that plays for you?
A blight on the NBA for decades, Sterling retorted:
“Do I know? I support them and give them food and clothes and cars and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game?”
Needless to say, NBA players were livid. Steve Nash and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were planning to march on City Hall. Players were on the verge of shutting down the league in protest and newly planted NBA commissioner Adam Silver, along with other team owners had a decision to make and plan to put together. Eventually, Silver called Rivers and told him that by tomorrow he will never have to deal with Sterling again.
Now 88-years old, Donald Sterling was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and his LA Clippers team long-sold. Next to nothing is known about V. Stiviano these days.