The NAACP said today they are still willing to work with Los Angeles Clippers' owner Donald Sterling despite yanking an offer of a lifetime achievement award over an audio tape containing racist comments that Sterling allegedly made. 
 
 At a news conference today, NAACP Los Angeles president Leon Jenkins said that an audio recording that surfaced this weekend on TMZ, which purportedly had Sterling's voice recorded making racist comments, was "devastating." 
 
 But the organization would be open to talking to Sterling, with whom they've worked for nearly 20 years. 
 
 Catch up on Donald Sterling Scandal Here 
 
 What We Know About V. Stiviano, Woman Accused of Leaking Racist Rant 
 
 "God teaches us to forgive, and the way I look at it, after a sustained period of proof to the African American community that those words don't reflect his heart, I think there's room for forgiveness. I wouldn't be a Christian if I said there wasn't," Jenkins said. 
 
 "We are negotiating with him about giving more moneys to African American students at UCLA, and so we are in preliminary discussions," Jenkins said. He also noted, however, they had not spoken since the scandal broke. 
 
 The news conference was held to discuss the organization's decision to cancel plans to honor to Sterling with a lifetime achievement in the wake of the tape, which allegedly contained an argument between Sterling, 80, and his girlfriend, Vanessa Stiviano, 31, in which the male voice on the recording makes many racist comments. 
 
 The male voice is heard telling Stiviano not to post pictures of herself with black people to Instagram or bring black people to Los Angeles Clippers games, including Magic Johnson. Stiviano's lawyers claim the recording is authentic and contains the voice of Sterling. 
 
 LA Clippers President Andy Roeser said in a statement Saturday the team did not know if the tape is legitimate or has been altered. Roeser said that Donald Sterling told him that Stiviano had previously said she would "get even" for the lawsuit brought by Rochelle Sterling. 
 
 The team released a statement saying, “Mr. Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on that recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life." 
 
 The recording sent shock waves through the NBA. The Clippers players protested Sterling by wearing their jerseys inside out at a playoff game Sunday, and the league is investigating what actions it may take against Sterling if the voice on the tape is verified to be his. 
 
 The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP posted on its website over the weekend that it would not give Sterling the Lifetime Achievement award after all. 
 
 Jenkins said that the NAACP had been working closely with Sterling on contributions to the black community in southern California, including creating an endowment at a predominantly black college in the LA area and a scholarship program for black students at UCLA. 
 
 "The mission of the NAACP is to eradicate discrimination and racial hatred in all its forms, and each year our executive board votes on who we decide that we are going to honor," Jenkins said. "Mr. Sterling has given out a tremendous amount of scholarships, he has invited numerous African American kids to summer camps, and his donations are bigger than other sports franchises." 
 
 "That is something that shows that there is a consciousness of the plight of African Americans in this country," Jenkins said. 
 
 Jenkins noted that Sterling had previously been awarded a humanitarian honor from the group and that it would not revoke that. 
 
 In 2009, ESPN Magazine went with Sterling to the awards ceremony for that honor, which the magazine described as Lifetime Achievement Award, though Jenkins denied that term today. The magazine profiled Sterling amid legal allegations by the Justice Department that he discriminated against minorities in housing units he rented. Sterling ultimately settled with the government. 
 
 Jenkins was quoted in the 2009 article saying that Sterling had donated $10,000 to $15,000 in that year alone to the NAACP. 
 
 Sterling is quoted in the story saying about the reporter, "Do you know why they're here? They want to know why the NAACP would give an award to someone with my track record." 
 
 Jenkins said at the press conference today that the NAACP has worked with Sterling for 15 to 20 years and that Jenkins' predecessor nominated Sterling for the 2009 award. ||||| Call it the most spectacular slam dunk in professional basketball history. 
 
 With one dazzling, devastating move, the NBA has thrown down against evil. 
 
 Thankfully, finally, Donald Sterling is done. 
 
 The man who poisoned the Los Angeles Clippers for nearly 30 years with his ignorance and hate has at last been dragged away into sweet oblivion. 
 
 Four days after the release of audiotapes on which Sterling is heard making racist comments, the NBA has banned the Clippers owner for life. 
 
 “We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views,’’ said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday morning. “They simply have no place in the NBA.’’ 
 
 Sterling was also fined the maximum $2.5 million, but, for the eccentric billionaire who viewed his team as a way to be accepted among his social circle, the lost money is nothing compared with his lost status. 
 
 No longer can he sit at courtside with his chest puffed out. No longer can he entertain friends in the press room after games. No longer can he go into the locker room and lead the team in awkward cheers. 
 
 The lifetime ban essentially takes away every reason that Donald Sterling has for owning the team, which would seem to make it another slam dunk that he would sell it. 
 
 But not so fast. Even in a decision that was celebrated by players and owners alike, there is a loophole. 
 
 Bottom line, right now, it is still Sterling’s team. Beginning Tuesday night with the Clippers playoff game against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center, every penny earned by the Clippers for the foreseeable future still goes into Donald Sterling’s pocket. 
 
 The owners can force Sterling to sell the team with a three-fourths majority vote, and Silver said, “I will urge the Board of Governors to exercise authority to force a sale of the team … and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that that happens.” 
 
 Surely, in this climate, few owners would have the gall to allow Sterling to keep the team. Again, this seems like another slam dunk. 
 
 But remember, some of these same owners have tolerated Sterling’s racist antics for years. And while Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, publicly supported Silver’s decision, he had previously wondered about the fairness of judging any owner for private words instead of public actions. 
 
 Cuban called it, “a slippery slope,’’ so it’s fair to worry that even though Donald Sterling can no longer be around the Clippers, it could be a long while before he is removed from the Clippers bank accounts. 
 
 Already, the player’s union has asked the league for a timetable on the forcing of a sale. If there is no potential sale this summer, Silver left open the possibility of Clippers players voiding their contracts. And don’t forget, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers has already essentially said he wouldn’t continue coaching a Donald Sterling team past this season. 
 
 And, oh yes, Sterling has a history of suing everything that moves, so who knows when his name is finally off the deed? 
 
 So many questions remain, questions that will still have to be answered by players, fans and sponsors as this postseason moves forward. This issue still has potential to put the Clippers in all sorts of messy situations. 
 
 But thankfully, finally, the stain that is Donald Sterling is being wiped clean. 
 
 Bill.plaschke@latimes.com 
 
 Twitter: @billplaschke
– The NBA today came down hard on Clippers owner Donald Sterling after audio surfaced of his racist comments, with the league banning him for life from games and personnel decisions and making it likely he'll be forced to sell the team. Two of the more common sentiments in the immediate aftermath: Bravo: It's "the most spectacular slam dunk in professional basketball history," writes Bill Plaschke in the Los Angeles Times. Sterling has "poisoned" the franchise with his bigotry for 30 years, and it's a relief to be done with him. Given his deep pockets and penchant for legal fights, this could still get seriously messy, but for now, it's cause of celebration. "With one dazzling, devastating move, the NBA has thrown down against evil." Yes, but: Jeff Jacoby at the Boston Globe has zero sympathy for Sterling and isn't out to defend his racism. But he reminds everyone that Sterling's downfall arrived because a girlfriend secretly recorded a private conversation. Doesn't this deserve a little outrage, too, or are we already too accustomed to a no-privacy world? Remember "that it isn’t only other people’s dirty laundry that the whole world can get a good look at," he writes. "It is yours and mine, too. Once our privacy is gone, don’t count on getting it back."