Corbin Bernsen and Harriet Samson Harris join the cast of The Sterling Affairs, which details the controversy surrounding former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his lover V. Stiviano
- Yvonna Pearson, Jock McKissic, Darryl Wesley, Rich Sommer and Clifton Davis have also been cast in upcoming FX limited series
- It will chronicle Sterling’s fall from grace in 2014 after he made racist remarks towards his then-girlfriend
- Sterling told V. Stiviano he didn’t want her to post pictures with black people on her social media accounts
- Footage was released on TMZ and a massive outcry against Sterling ensued
- Sterling was banned from the NBA for life and forced to sell his basketball team
Harriet Samson Harris and Corbin Bernsen are among the seven new names announced for the cast of The Sterling Affairs, the FX miniseries detailing the controversy that swirled around Donald Sterling, former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and too led to his lifetime ban from the NBA.
Yvonna Pearson, Jock McKissic, Darryl Wesley, Rich Sommer and Clifton Davis have also been cast in the upcoming miniseries, Deadline reported Tuesday.
The FX production stars Ed O’Neill as Sterling, Cleopatra Coleman as his one-time love V. Stiviano, Jacki Weaver as his wife Shelly Sterling and Laurence Fishburne as then-Clippers coach Doc Rivers.
The Latest: Harriet Samson Harris and Corbin Bernsen are among seven new names announced to join the cast of The Sterling Affairs, the FX miniseries detailing the controversy surrounding Donald Sterling, former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, spun around and led to his lifetime ban from the NBA
Among the castings, Bernsen plays the role of attorney Pierce O’Donnell, Pearson portrays Deja, McKissic plays former Clipper forward Glen Davis, and Wesley plays former Clipper guard Jamal Crawford.
Additionally, Harris portrays Justine, Sommer plays the role of Clippers employee Seth Burton, and Davis portrays the late NBA player and executive Elgin Baylor.
The Sterling Affairs follows the demise of the Clippers owner amid the team’s quest to win a championship under Rivers. Sterling was banned from the NBA in 2014 and forced to sell the Clippers after a series of racist statements he made against black people (in a discussion with then-girlfriend V. Stiviano) surfaced publicly.
In the racist rant, Sterling told her he didn’t like it when she was seen in public and posted pictures with black people on social media.
Coach: Laurence Fishburne plays then-Clippers coach Doc Rivers in the FX miniseries
The FX Production stars Ed O’Neill as Donald Sterling, who has been banned for life by the NBA
He told V. Stiviano in the tapes, which were released on TMZ: “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you are associating with black people.
“You can sleep with them, you can bring them, you can do whatever you want — the little I ask is that you don’t promote them and don’t bring them to my games,” he said.
Amid the controversy following the release of the footage, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league for life, fined him $2.5 million, and persuaded the other owners to force him to sell the franchise.
“Voices of this nature are at odds with the principles of inclusion and respect that are the foundation of our diverse, multicultural, and multiracial league,” Silver said at the time.
Flashback: Donald Sterling and V.Stiviano were photographed together at an LA Clippers game in 2013
Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, had made an unsuccessful attempt to keep the family’s majority stake in the team, which months later was sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.
LeBron James said at the time, “As players, we want what’s right and we don’t feel like nobody in their family should be able to own the team.”
The screenplay was written by Gina Welsh and was based on actual events that transpired.
O’Neill is best known for his role as Al Bundy in Married with Children, which debuted on the then-new Fox Network in April 1987. It ran for ten years, until June 1997, and made O’Neill a star.
Ed was lucky enough to snag another 11-season run on a hit sitcom in 2009, playing Jay Pritchett on Modern Family, a role that earned him Emmy nominations in 2011 and 2012.