Basketball On The Internet.

CAN the red, white and blue team from Los Angeles recover and refocus in time to make a run at an NBA Championship in the wake of alleged racist remarks by owner Donald Sterling?

As the controversy raged around them, Clippers players today dumped their warm-up tops at centre court in Oakland ahead of Game 4 of their Western Conference series against Golden State Warriors, in a silent protest against Sterling’s alleged behaviour.

The players did not display the Clippers name or logo during the warm-up and wore black socks, shirts, wristbands or armbands.

In case you missed it, website TMZ posted an audio recording purported to be Sterling, an 80-year-old billionaire, criticising his girlfriend for her association with African-Americans.

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you are associating with black people,” the man is heard telling his girlfriend, identified so far only as V. Stiviano.

“Do you have to?

“You can sleep with (black people). You can bring them in. You can do whatever you want. The little I ask is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games.

“In your lousy... Instagrams you don't have to have yourself walking with black people.”

In Malaysia today, President Barack Obama, the first African-American elected president in the USA, blasted the comments as “ignorant and incredibly offensive”.

“We just have to be clear and steady in denouncing it, teaching our children differently but also (remain) hopeful that part of why some statements like this stand out so much is because there has been a shift in how we view ourselves,” he said.

Yesterday, NBA legend and Charlotte Bobcats chairman Michael Jordan joined the chorus admonishing Sterling.

“I look at this from two perspectives - as a current owner and a former player,” Jordan said in a statement released by the Bobcats.

“As an owner, I'm obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views. I'm confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly.

“As a former player, I'm completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA - or anywhere else - for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr Sterling allegedly expressed.

“I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level.”

NBA commissioner Silver confirmed yesterday the league is investigating.

LeBron James, the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player, urged Silver to be “very aggressive” in addressing Sterling's “disrespectful and appalling” remarks.

“Obviously, if the reports are true it's unacceptable in our league,” James said.

“It doesn't matter, white, black or Hispanic - all across the races it's unacceptable.

“As the commissioner of our league they have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don't know what it will be, but we can't have that in our league.”

Retired Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson, mentioned in the tape, vowed to never attend Clippers games while Sterling remained the owner.

“He shouldn't own a team anymore,” Johnson said of the real estate tycoon who is the NBA’s longest-serving owner, buying the Clippers in 1981.

“This is bad for everybody. It's bad for America and I'm really upset about it.”

Clippers coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers said players discussed boycotting Game 4 during a 45-minute team meeting but quickly decided against it.

But with Stephen Curry on fire with seven 3-pointers, Golden State inflicted a whopping 118-97 rout to tie the series 2-2 regardless.

A spokesman for the Clippers organisation said the remarks did not reflect Sterling's views but Mac Nehoray, a lawyer for Stiviano, told the LA Times it was Sterling's voice on the recording.

Nehoray is representing Stiviano in a lawsuit brought by Sterling's wife Rochelle, who attended the Clippers' Game 3, sitting courtside.

Sterling did not attend today’s Game 4.