Is FX's Clipped based on a true story? Everything to know about the new sports drama on Hulu

FX’s new show Clipped, which started streaming on Hulu on June 4, is “based on a true story” adaptation of how the personal assistant and mistress of the then-owner of Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, brought about his downfall with a leaked taped audio of his racist comments.

The six-part limited series, which stars Ed O’Neill, Cleopatra Coleman, and Jacki Weaver, will follow the triangle of Sterling, his PA/assistant V. Stiviano, and his wife and business partner Shelly Sterling amid the scandal that rocked the NBA in 2014.

But the trio’s drama is only one part of the story, as the Clippers were forced to deal with the social repercussions of Sterling’s horrific comments amid a playoff series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Clipped on Hulu. Reader’s discretion is advised.

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Clipped is a “based on a true story” adaptation of the 2014 LA Clippers scandal

Based on The Sterling Affairs, the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast about the power and scandal in basketball in Los Angeles, Clipped tells the real story of what is considered the biggest scandal in NBA history. It all started with racist remarks recorded, leaked, and inciting a media frenzy.

In April 2014 during the NBA playoffs, TMZ Sports obtained and leaked the nearly 10-minute audio where Donald Sterling can be heard ranting to his 31-year-old mistress, V. Stiviano about the latter taking a picture with Magic Johnson at a Dodgers game and posting it on Instagram.

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associated with Black people. 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 you is not to promote it on that…and not to bring them to my games,” he can be heard saying.

Sterling’s remarks ballooned into a scandal that rocked the sports world and birthed the now-famous quote from LeBron James:

“There’s no place for Donald Sterling in our league.”

However, the tape was only the tip of the iceberg as shocking stories about Sterling’s history of racial discrimination came to light. With the media frenzy and backlash, Sterling earned a lifetime ban from the NBA and was forced to sell the team.

While it is unclear what parts of the scandal the new sports drama show will feature and focus on, the first two episodes are already out and have set a precedent for what viewers can expect from the rest of the show.

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Clipped on Hulu so far

The beginning of Clipped season 1 sets up the LA Clippers’ 2013-2014 season through the perspective of Doc Rivers, the NBA team’s new head coach. Rivers is determined to bring the fledgling team, which was famous for the “Clippers curse,” to the Championships.

Meanwhile, the basketball team was forced to deal with the aftermath of Sterling’s scandal just as they were on the rise for the first time in years.

Elsewhere in Clipped episode 1, “White Party,” the two women in Sterling’s life, his wife Shelly and then-assistant Stiviano, are at odds. Stiviano inserts herself into Sterling’s life, much to Shelly’s dislike. By the episode’s end, Shelly had filed a lawsuit against Stiviano, “seeking protection” as a married woman after learning that her husband had bought his mistress a duplex.

In Clipped episode 2, “A Blessing and a Curse,” the distraught mistress tried, but failed, to regain Sterling’s favor. Being reminded that she’s only the “mistress” and that she’s fighting with the “wife,” Stiviano went nuclear and released Sterling’s damning audio via TMZ.

Elsewhere, the “Clippers curse” strikes again as the team, just after winning the two playoff games, had learned of the leaked audio, which is about to change the narrative of not only Sterling’s life but the entirety of the LA Clippers team as well.

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The first two episodes of the docu-series are now streaming on Hulu for US audiences. Clipped episode 3 will air on June 11, with subsequent episodes premiering every Tuesday. UK viewers can watch the show via Disney+.