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Clipped episode 3, which aired on Hulu on June 11, 2024, continues detailing the scandal involving former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. The 6-episode miniseries chronicles the fallout within the “other” LA basketball organization following Sterling’s leaked audio, revealing his racist and hateful comments to the public.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Clipped episode 3. Reader's discretion is advised.
The third episode, in particular, delves into the aftermath of the leaked audio and how it affected the team’s fledgling season. While Sterling (played by Ed O'Neill) has limited screen time in episode 3, the team who had just won Game 2 of their first round of playoffs against the Golden State Warriors felt the magnitude of the scandal.
The third episode, titled "Let the Games Begin," focused on Doc Rivers (played by Laurence Fishburne), the new Clippers head coach, and his players as they grappled about whether to boycott Sterling and the NBA playoffs or continue with their goal to land an NBA title. In the end, the LA Clippers continued playing amid the backlash of Sterling’s leaked audio, and while they didn’t boycott, the team made a protest on the court to show they were not playing for the team’s now-infamous owner.
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Why didn’t the Clippers boycott the game after Sterling’s tape went public in Clipped episode 3?
In Clipped Season 1 episode 3, the entire LA Clippers organization deals with the fallout of Donald Sterling’s controversial remarks. The episode mainly focused on how the backlash affected the team and led them to make one of the toughest choices they had to make during the season—to boycott the game or continue with their pursuit of a title.
Doc Rivers learned of the leaked audio right after the Clippers’ Game 2 win against the Golden State Warriors. In Clipped episode 3, he helped his players navigate through their feelings about Sterling’s remarks from the leaked audio clip. The coach, still in disbelief about Sterling’s remarks, had been looking for ways to put the scandal to bed so he and his team could get back to the business of the playoffs. However, his incessant calls and texts to Andy Roeser (played by Kelly AuCoin), the Clippers’ President, remained unanswered.
While Rivers refused to put out a statement, saying that it was Sterling’s job to address the issue and not the team, he later learned one of his players had publicly addressed the situation. DeAndre Jordan (played by Sheldon Bailey), upon learning of the scandal, had posted a black square on Instagram while making a promise to boycott the night’s game.
Also read: All Clipped characters in real life and where are they now
Later in Clipped episode 3, just ahead of the game, DeAndre and JJ Redick (played by Charlie McElveen) had made their distaste for Sterling known. They had told their coach that they wanted to make a public stand denouncing Sterling’s statements and boycotting the game was the way to do it. However, some players like Matt Barnes (played by Sarunas J. Jackson) and Chris Paul (played by J. Alphonse Nicholson) wanted to continue playing after their hard work all season.
Before the debate got even more heated, coach Rivers intervened with examples of other athletes who used their positions after a win in the Olympics to make their messages and advocacies heard. Instead of boycotting the game, the coach suggested playing in the upcoming game, eventually winning the series, and for the players to use the platform to speak out against racism.
The team agreed and stepped onto the court that evening, but not before making a symbolic protest. The Clippers wore their training kits inside out, keeping the team logo hidden to show that they were not there to play for Donald Sterling. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t in their favor, and they lost, making the series tied at 2-2.
Also read: 7 sports drama shows to watch if you loved Hulu’s Clipped
Why was Coach Rivers not in favor of the boycott?
Stuck in the middle of the team owner’s scandal and the players who wanted to make their statements, coach Rivers was in for a rough season as depicted in episode 3. Naturally, the recently appointed head coach brought in to help the team find its glory in the league didn't want the media frenzy to distract his players and take over the game. However, coach Rivers also believed that Donald Sterling’s scandalous and bigoted nature should not be entertained.
Rivers and his team started feeling pressure from the public because of no support from the rest of the organization. But amid the chaos, the head coach presented the team with another option instead of boycotting the game, which would have hurt their chances as talks about possibly forgoing the whole playoffs to protest their owner was being spoken about.
A huge part of why the coach didn’t want the players to boycott in episode 3 was because the team was finally in a position where they could achieve favorable results on the court. Fans considered The Clippers a laughingstock in the NBA for many years, and it was only now that a team of talented players, with the help of their newly appointed coach, had come together and their prospects were looking brighter by the day.
Also read: Who is Austin Scott from Clipped? Everything to know about the Blake Griffin star
How did Shelly Sterling react to Donald Sterling’s scandal in Clipped episode 3?
Even with the audio tape out for the public to scrutinize in Clipped episode 3, Donald Sterling remained relatively unbothered by the backlash and even refused to give an apology. Meanwhile, his legal wife, Shelly Sterling (played by Jacki Weaver), saw things differently and had been thinking of ways to save Donald from the consequences of his racist remarks.
While the scandal admittedly hurt and embarrassed Shelly, she cooperated with the NBA’s interrogation. First, she wanted Donald to let the NBA handle the scandal their way, but when her husband refused an interrogation, Shelly faced the questions on his behalf.
There, to help her husband save face, Shelly Sterling claimed Donald was under the influence when he made the controversial remarks that were caught on tape. She was fully in the “it’s V. Stiviano’s fault” lane, pushing all the blame towards Donald’s mistress, whom she called a “career criminal.”
Shelly joins Donald for his 80th birthday dinner where things went down south, ending with Donald angrily asking Shelly to “shut up.” After being publicly humiliated by her husband, Shelley distanced herself from Donald, but mentioned to one of her friends that they would never divorce.
Also read: What is Cleopatra Coleman's ethnicity? Clipped actress' nationality and heritage explored
Later in the episode, Shelly attempted to establish herself as part owner of the Clippers—attending the games against the Clippers despite being booed by the crowd. She also started traveling with the team on the bus and the plans after the game, asserting her ownership and has talked with her lawyer about possibly fighting against Donald legally.
The first three episodes of the sports miniseries are now available for streaming on Hulu, with Clipped episode 4 expected to air on June 18, 2024.
