Los Angeles Clippers

Chris Paul says he spoke with several Clippers teammates about boycotting today's game ... and would have been down if that's what the team wanted -- but they ultimately decided against it.

A field reporter for ABC says she spoke with Paul before the game and the Clippers star said the team decided playing tonight would be the best thing they could do.

The L.A. Clippers took a public stand TOGETHER against Donald Sterling when they stepped on the court for today's playoff game ... starting with throwing their Clippers warm-up jackets in a pile at center court.

The team has also decided to wear their warm up shirts INSIDE OUT ... hiding the Clippers logo.

As for the players on the court, they're all sporting the regular jerseys ... right-side-out ... along with black wristbands and black socks ... to symbolize their disdain for Sterling.

The audio recordings of Clippers owner Donald Sterling are "legitimate" and roughly 1 hour in length ... lawyers for Sterling's then-girlfriend V. Stiviano tell TMZ Sports.

Mac E. Nehoray -- of the Nehoray Legal Group -- has issued a statement saying, "My firm represents Ms. V Stiviano who is a named defendant in a civil action brought by Rochelle H. Sterling in the Central Civil Superior Court, County of Los Angeles."

"This office understands that the currently released audio tape of approximately 15 minutes is a portion of approximately one (1) hour of overall audio recording of Mr. Donald T. Sterling and Ms. Stiviano, and is in fact legitimate."

"Ms. Stiviano did not release the tape(s) to any news media."

L.A. Dodgers superstar Matt Kemp has just spoken out about being mentioned in the new Donald Sterling recording ... saying it would be "tough" for him to attend Clippers games as long as Sterling owns the team.

As we previously reported, Sterling can be heard instructing his girlfriend to remove a photo of Kemp from her Instagram account because Sterling doesn't believe she should be seen with a black guy in public.

Moments ago, Kemp addressed the situation to the media saying, "Racism is kind of old."

Donald Sterling was AWARE he was being taped during the conversation that was posted on TMZ
Sports, in which the L.A. Clippers owner went on a racial rant ... so claims the woman who taped him.

A source connected with V. Stiviano tells TMZ Sports ... the full conversation lasted approximately 1 hour. We're told Stiviano insists it was clear to Sterling at the beginning of the conversation he was being recorded.

LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers just told TMZ Sports ... his players will not be wearing anything symbolic to protest Donald Sterling's racist comments.

More Donald Sterling audio has been released ... this time, you can hear the Clippers' owner explaining that he doesn't think he's racist because he puts food on the tables of his his black employees.

The audio -- just released on Deadspin -- appears to pick up where the clip published on TMZ Sports leaves off ... with Sterling's girlfriend V. Stiviano challenging him on April 9th about why she can't post photos of black people on her Instagram page.

GF: "I don't understand, I don't see your views. I wasn't raised the way you were raised."

Sterling: "Well then, if you don't feel -- don't come to my games. Don't bring black people, and don't come."

GF: "Do you know that you have a whole team that's black, that plays for you?"

Sterling: "You just, 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? Do I know that I have—Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?"

Sterling also objects when Stiviano compares his attitude toward black people to the Holocaust.

During the conversation, Stiviano says she didn't remove a photo of L.A. Dodgers star Matt Kemp from her Instagram page because he's mixed race and light-skinned and she thought Sterling would be OK with it.

She was wrong.

Sterling also threatens to replace Stiviano with another girl in his life for not getting behind his world views on race.

Seems the Clippers won't be taking Jesse Jackson's advice about wearing a symbolic armband when they take the court to play the Warriors today -- with one of the coaches telling us, "Why would we?"

Clippers assistant coach Kevin Eastman was leaving the team hotel in San Francisco on the way to the playoff game moments ago when we asked if the team was planning on wearing something like an armband to show their disapproval of Donald Sterling's racist comments.

Eastman only shot back 3 words -- "Why would we?"

There have been rumors that the team has contemplated wearing armbands, black socks or even patches on their uniforms to express their disdain ... but with Eastman's comments, it seems unlikely.

Former L.A. Clippers player Cuttino Mobley says he doesn't hate team owner Donald Sterling -- he actually feels sorry for the guy.

Mobley tells TMZ Sports ... he might actually understand where Sterling's hateful comments come from ... and he's not angry about it -- he feels pity for Sterling for going through life feeling that way.

"I feel bad for him ... being such an older person and still thinking like that in 2014."

And while Mobley says he never saw or heard Sterling do anything racist or offensive around him, he notes ..."If theres smoke in the city everywhere he goes when it comes to this type of situation, obviously, he's the one starting the fire."

Clippers games just got a lot less fabulous ... 'cause Magic Johnson's son EJ Johnson is joining his dad's boycott until team owner Donald Sterling steps down.

The "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" star was rushing into 1 Oak Sunday night in Hollywood when he told our photog he's on team dad on the subject of the Donald Sterling audio.

As we previously reported ... NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says Sterling has agreed he won't go to the Clipper's playoff game today.

President Obama joined in the lambasting of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, saying "When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything. You just let them talk. That's what happened here."

Obama spoke to reporters in Malaysia during his diplomatic mission, but things quickly turned domestic in the wake of the audiotape TMZ Sports posted.

Obama said Sterling's comments are an example of how "the United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation."

The Prez also went on to say "That's still there, the vestiges of discrimination. We've made enormous strides, but you're going to continue to see this percolate up every so often."

The woman you hear talking to Donald Sterling during a taped conversation in which he makes racist remarks will NOT cooperate with the NBA Commissioner's investigation ... and we've learned her refusal has nothing to do with the tape.

A rep from the law office representing V. Stiviano tells TMZ ... they heard NBA Commissioner Adam Silver state his intention to interview Stiviano, but that's not going to happen right now. We're told her lawyer, Mac Nehoray, will not allow her to answer questions about pending litigation against his client filed by Sterling's estranged wife.

Lil Wayne has a message for Donald Sterling ... "F*** you. That simple. That easy."

Wayne tells TMZ Sports ... if he were a member of the L.A. Clippers he would absolutely, positively quit the team in protest.

Wayne is indignant over the audio posted on TMZ Sports ... essentially telling members of the team that it's ridiculous for them to bust their ass on and off the court for a guy who has no respect for them.

7:45 PM PDT -- NAACP Interim President Lorraine Miller told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday Morning Sterling will no longer receive a lifetime achievement award next month.

It's stunning to say the least ... Donald Sterling has been tapped by the L.A. chapter of the NAACP for a Lifetime Achievement Award ... at a gala event next month.

Leon Jenkins, Prez of the L.A. branch, has said in the past, "He [Donald] has a unique history of giving to the children of L.A." Sterling donates thousands of Clippers tickets to local youth groups.

There have been several earlier allegations Sterling was a racist. Several years back, Jenkins was quoted as saying, "We can't speak to the allegations, but what we do know is that for the most part [Sterling] has been very, very kind to the minority youth community."

In the wake of Donald Sterling's racist comments on an audio recording ... he is persona non grata at his own team's playoff game ... according to the NBA Commissioner.

Adam Silver said Sterling "has agreed that he will not attend his playoff game [Sunday] in Golden State" while the league investigates the tape of Sterling arguing with his girlfriend.

During his news conference in Memphis ... the commish was surprisingly strong and deliberate with his words -- calling Sterling's comments on the tape ... "truly offensive and disturbing. "

Silver said the league hopes to have its investigation wrapped up in the next few days -- and said they would interview Sterling and his gf V. Stiviano ... and attempt to understand the context of the recording.

Donald Sterling has come out swinging, with the Clippers organization right behind him ... saying he and his team don't know if the audio TMZ Sports released is legit ... but he says it does NOT reflect his views toward African-Americans.

Sterling and the Clippers organization tell TMZ Sports, "We have heard the tape on TMZ Sports. We do not know if it is legitimate or if it has been altered."

The statement goes on ... "We do know that the woman on the tape -- who we believe released it to TMZ Sports -- is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family, alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even.'"