Los Angeles Clippers

Despite saying he'd never attend a Los Angeles Clippers game as long as Donald Sterling was the owner, Magic Johnson showed up at Staples Center for today's game against the OKC Thunder.

According to one reporter for ESPN, it's the first Clippers home game Johnson has attended all season.

It was a photo of Magic with V. Stiviano that triggered Sterling's racist tirade.

Shelly Sterling will take legal action against the NBA if she doesn't have control over her interest in the event of a forced sale of the team. But her lawyer says she is adamant ... the NBA has no right to strip her of her 50% ownership, because "she's an innocent victim."

Sources connected with the Sterling family tell us ... Shelly is actually more involved in the team than Donald Sterling, and she would definitely wants to remain an owner, even if Donald is forced out.

Shelly's lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, tells TMZ Sports, he is currently in talks with the NBA in an effort to avoid a family sale. O'Donnell is demanding that the NBA allow her to retain her 50% interest. O'Donnell has explained to NBA honchos, Shelly and Donald have led separate lives for years, living miles away from each other, and they do not share the same views.

O'Donnell says, "She's done nothing wrong. She's an innocent spouse," adding, "Shelly loves the team and she will resist any effort to strip her involuntarily of her ownership interest."

Donald Sterling has broken his silence in a recent phone conversation in which he angrily and adamantly says, "I'm not a racist."

The conversation, which we're told was recorded without Sterling's knowledge and posted on Radar Online, is between Sterling and a friend who questioned him about the audio posted on TMZ Sports.

During the conversation, Sterling said ...

-- "It breaks my heart that Magic Johnson, a guy that I respect so much, wouldn’t stand up and say, ‘Well let’s get the facts. Let’s get him and talk to him.’ Nobody tried. Nobody!”

-- "Do you think I told the coach to get white players? Or to get the best player he can get?"

When asked about the NBA trying to force a sale of the Clippers, Sterling responded ... "You can't force somebody to sell property in America. I'm a lawyer. That's my opinion."

Donald Sterling is finally expressing remorse about the racist comments that got him banned from the NBA ... this according to former L.A. Kings owner Bruce McNall who says Donald told him he feels "terrible" during a phone call a few days ago.

McNall was out in Malibu on Wednesday and told us he's been friends with Sterling for years -- and had a conversation with the disgraced L.A. Clippers owner just the other day.

"Oh man, when I talked to him ... he felt terrible," McNall says.

"I mean he was like 'What an idiot I am. I don't know what I was thinking or doing."

V. Stiviano might wanna stay away from the Dodger Stadium parking lot ... because Tommy Lasorda says he strongly believes she deserves to BE HIT BY A CAR!!!

V. Stiviano -- who is currently under investigation for extortion -- is no stranger to the criminal justice system. She's been arrested for at least 4 crimes and has used 5 aliases, and she's a true chameleon, changing her race from crime to crime.

2002 -- Stiviano was arrested by LAPD for petty theft. The official documents -- obtained by TMZ -- show she was a 5'4" 128 lb Hispanic woman named Vanessa Maria Perez. She was convicted and placed on probation.

2004 -- Stiviano was arrested by Santa Monica PD for another petty theft and felony burglary. Her name was Vanessa Maria Perez (same as the first) but this time she's taller and thinner -- a 5'8" 115 lb Hispanic woman.

2010 -- Stiviano was arrested by LAPD for possession of a controlled substance -- a felony. This time she's Vanessa Maria Perez again, but she's black, weighing in at 5'7" and 125 lbs.

2012 -- Stiviano was busted by CHP for DUI. This time she was booked as Monica Gallegos, a 5'7" 110 lb black woman. We don't know the disposition.

In addition to Vanness Maria Perez and Monica Gallegos, court records show she also used the names Maria Valdez, Maria Vanessa Perez and Mariamonica Perez Gallegos. She's currently going by V. Stiviano.

V. Stiviano is under criminal investigation for allegedly extorting Donald Sterling by demanding money in return for keeping more audio recordings secret ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a senior investigator for the L.A. County D.A.'s Bureau of Investigation contacted Shelly Sterling Tuesday ... asking for an interview in connection with the extortion investigation.

Donald Sterling gave an interview last week ... telling a magazine, "I wish I had just paid her off."

TMZ Sports first reported ... Stiviano claims to have 100 plus hours of recordings of conversations between her and Sterling.

Stiviano's people told us a week ago ... Sterling called her after we posted the audio ... asking her, "How can we make this go away?" We have since learned it was NOT Sterling who initiated the call -- it was Stiviano.

And we've learned the investigation is also focusing on whether Stiviano illegally recorded Sterling ... recording private conversations without the consent of all parties is a crime in California.

Arsenio Hall says he's trying to raise $1 BILLION to buy the L.A. Clippers ... and last night he got his first REAL donation ... a wad of cash from Katt Williams.

While Arsenio's campaign might be a joke, the wad of cash Katt gave to Arsenio was not -- sources tell us he gave Hall $1,100 in $100 bills ... and did NOT ask for it back when the cameras turned off.

Disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been battling cancer for several years, TMZ has confirmed.

Sterling's cancer medication, believed to be for prostate cancer, is what has caused his face to look puffy in recent years, says the New York Post. One source told the paper, "They thought he would die two years ago."

Clippers players were unaware of Sterling's alleged condition. Blake Griffin told reporters after last night's loss to the Golden State Warriors, "If that is true, my thoughts and prayers are with him. Nobody deserves to go through something like that."

The L.A. Clippers aren't for sale -- yet -- but Donald Sterling's already getting offers, including a serious proposal from a group of investors who claim they're SECOND best ... behind Magic.

TMZ obtained a letter from a Florida law firm claiming to represent a consortium of foreign investors -- including several African-Americans -- who are prepared to offer a "substantial" sum for the team.

BUT ... the proposal is contingent ... first and foremost, the investors say they will NOT negotiate if Magic becomes a serious bidder ... that's because they hold him in such high esteem.

The letter -- written by attorney Bradford M. Cohen -- says, "We will not engage in a bidding war with Mr. Johnson out of respect for his character and his ability to wipe the tarnish off of the LA Clippers from your most recent comments."

The group's other stipulations --

1) A lifetime ban on Sterling from ALL Clippers games (which is already done, done and done).

2) A waiver from all lawsuits stemming from Sterling's conduct, "including alleged statements such as, you wanting to fill your team with 'poor black boys from the South and a white head coach.'"

Yokohama Tire Corporation has reinstated their sponsorship with the Los Angeles Clippers ... but only after an agreement that half of the Clip's money would be given to charity.

Earlier this week -- Yokohama suspended their deal with the Clippers while they waited to see which way the wind would blow.

One day after Donald Sterling's banishment from the NBA, a rep for Yokohama tells TMZ Sports they are ready to resume their sponsorship -- but ONLY if half of the 2014 NBA playoff sponsorship funds are "earmarked to a charity instead of the organization."

It's unclear which charities will benefit from the tire funds -- but we're told they will be organizations focusing on anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts.

Donald Sterling is getting SCREWED by the NBA ... so says African-American radio host Larry Elder who actually blames Magic Johnson for blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

Elder appeared on Fox 11 in L.A. yesterday and DEFENDED the disgraced Clippers owner during a heated exchange ... saying Sterling would still own the team if Magic would've kept his cool after the audio was released.

"Magic Johnson could have taken this thing to a nice high level ... and he could've said, 'I don't care what Donald Sterling says,'" Elder said.

Elder went on defend Sterling's statements .... "The worst thing [Sterling] said was 'Don't bring your black friends to the games.' The black friends can go, just don't have em sit next to you. If Magic wants to go, just don't have him sit next to you ... for that, he loses his team?"

Clippers with Attitudes??

Dr. Dre tells TMZ Sports ... he's "absolutely" interested in buying the L.A. Clippers when the NBA forces Donald Sterling to sell the team ... and he seems very serious about it.

Former Major League Baseball superstar Kenny Lofton made a statement of his own last night ... hitting up the Clippers game in L.A. in a shirt that read, "Black and Proud."

The shirt was a HIT with the fans -- including Holly Robinson Peete -- who praised Lofton for his gear.

We also asked Kenny the question lots of charities are asking themselves right now --- if Donald Sterling offered to make a donation to his organization, would he accept the money.

Donald Sterling's wife has apparently flip-flopped again ... hitting up the Clippers game by herself last night after the league BANNED her estranged husband FOR LIFE.

Shelly Sterling was escorted in and out of the Staples Center in L.A. -- by an official (who happened to be black btw) ... and cheered on the team Donald Sterling has been banned from associating with.

It's almost like she's thumbing her nose at Donald by going to the game, since he's not allowed anywhere near the arena.

It's an odd move by Shelly ... considering earlier in the week, she went to dinner with Donald and seemed to have his back -- screaming that he was NOT racist.

But days before that, she blasted him in the media ... claiming Donald's racist comments humiliated the family.

So, the question ... does Shelly have Donald's back or not??

It's too damn late for Donald Sterling to change his racist ways ... so says Lakers superstar Nick Young who tells TMZ Sports, it doesn't matter because he's gonna die soon anyway.

Young was out in L.A. yesterday when he told us, "The man is 90 years old. He's stuck in his ways. He ain't movin, he ain't changing. That's Django ... Django unchained."

He added, "He only got a few years left. He can go out as a villain."