When the news broke more than a year ago that Clippers owner Donald Sterling used to heckle Baron Davis from his courtside seat when Davis was still playing for him, Davis declined to comment. Reports at the time said Sterling's barbs included questioning Davis's shot selection and telling Davis he was out of shape. But in an interview published yesterday in the New York Post, Davis said Sterling's taunts went beyond that—and that they impacted his play:
And the other lowest point is when I played for the Clippers. ... I just stopped liking basketball. And then you dribbling down the court and having the owner like cuss at you and call you an idiot. I didn't even look forward to coming to the games, and if the owner [Donald Sterling] came to the game, I definitely was not gonna have a good game because it was just like, how do you play when the main heckler in the gym is the owner of the team, and he's telling you how much he hates you and calling out your name?
Davis certainly finds New York to be a far more relaxing work environment.
Serby's Sunday Q & A with... Baron Davis [New York Post]
Baron Davis talks about Donald Sterling heckling: I just stopped liking basketball [Larry Brown Sports]