Clippers point guard and president of the NBA players' union, issued a statement calling the remarks "a very serious issue which we will address aggressively." Paul said he had asked Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA player, to help determine the union's next steps in its response.

Other NBA stars weren't as restrained. Miami's James told reporters in Charlotte, N.C., that "there's no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA." Hall of Famer Charles Barkley called for Silver to suspend Sterling if the recording can be authenticated.

Johnson tweeted he and his wife would never go to a Clippers game again as long as Sterling owned the team.

"I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feelsof Colored People had been scheduled to give Sterling the group's lifetime achievement award at a May 15 banquet.

In the lawsuit filed in L.A. County Superior Court on March 7, Sterling's wife of more than 50 years paints Stiviano as an opportunist who seduces older wealthy men and persuades them to shower her with gifts. According to the suit, Sterling and Stiviano began an affair after meeting at the 2010 Super Bowl game and were still in a relationship as of the filing date.

Rochelle Sterling alleges her husband used community property to buy Stiviano a 2012 Ferrari, two Bentleys and a 2013 Range Rover, worth a total of more than $500,0000.

Sterling also gave Stiviano $1.8 million to buy a duplex on West 4th Street near the Beverly Center