President Obama: Sterling Made "Incredibly Offensive Racist Comments"

President Obama, while on a diplomatic trip to Malaysia, slammed Donald Sterling and pointed to his remarks as an example of the country's continued struggle "with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation."

"When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk. That's what happened here," the President said.

Obama expressed confidence in commissioner Adam Silver's ability to handle the Sterling mess but—noting the obvious racial dynamics in the NBA—hinted that the league needs to recognize this is more than just an owner being an ancient embarrassment.

He said the NBA has "an awful lot of African American players, it's steeped in African American culture. And I suspect that the NBA is going to be deeply concerned in resolving this."

Obama also sounded optimistic about the loud backlash that's heard whenever these kinds of comments pop up like cockroaches, saying it signaled a "shift in how we view ourselves."

Photo credit: Getty Images

Obama: Alleged Sterling comments 'incredibly offensive' [AP]