Donald Sterling’s Estranged Wife Rochelle Attends Game 5 Of Clippers vs. Warriors

Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s estranged wife, Rochelle Sterling is in a curious position. Sunday, following the release of the audio that caused her husband to be banned for life from the NBA, Rochelle seemed to be putting some distance between herself and her husband, claiming she nor her family were racist. But later that same night, Shelly was spotted having dinner with her husband, where she seemed to flip flop on her stance and stated that he wasn’t racist.

Either way, it appears unlikely the NBA would be willing to allow her to take over the franchise and for it to remain in the Sterling family. Shelly attended Tuesday night’s game five at the urging of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and the team.

“It’s a tough one for Shelly, really,” Rivers said. “She didn’t do anything wrong. You have compassion for her. I kept hearing about the girlfriend, and Shelly’s the wife. You know what I mean? I talked to her today, and she’s been through as much as anyone as well. She asked if she could come, which I thought was a very nice gesture, and she just wanted the players to know that she loved them and she told me to tell them. I thought why not?”

Most of the Clippers players have gotten to know Rochelle Sterling during their time with the team and didn’t have an issue with her being at the game.

“Coach talked about it in our locker room how I’m sure it’s been tough on her also,” Chris Paul said. “She came to our game to support us in Golden State, and for us it’s tough, but I can’t imagine how tough it is for that family so we’ll let them get through that. I think the biggest thing for us is getting back to basketball and doing what we love.”

Shelly wore all black, as did all Clippers employees and representatives, but didn’t sit in her normal courtside seat. She opted for a suite view of the game. Under the circumstances, I think that was the appropriate move.

Clippers win 113-103.