NBA to call news conference about L.A. Clippers owner

CarMax endings sponsorship after racist comments attributed to Donald Sterling

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, right, and V. Stiviano, left, watch the Clippers play in October.

NEW YORK  — The NBA has called a Tuesday news conference to make an announcement about the investigation involving Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The league says it will announce further details, though it’s not clear when those are coming.

Sterling is alleged to have made the comments in a recorded conversation with a woman. Portions of that conversation were released over the weekend by TMZ and Deadspin, leading to a national outcry.

The players’ union has asked Commissioner Adam Silver to rule quickly, preferably before the Clippers play host to Golden State in a critical Game 5 of their knotted-up Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday night. Silver has said the league would move quickly on the matter.

Also, used car dealership chain CarMax says it is ending its sponsorship of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers over the comments.

“CarMax finds the statements attributed to the Clippers’ owner completely unacceptable,” CarMax Inc. said today in an emailed statement. “While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for 9 years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship.”

A second sponsor, insurer State Farm, said it “will be taking a pause in our relationship with the organization.” For now, it will continue to run its Born to Assist ad campaign, which stars Clippers point guard Chris Paul.

State Farm also described the remarks as offensive and said it will monitor the situation as the facts are sorted out. The Born to Assist campaign began in December 2012, and it features Paul as himself and a fictional insurance-selling twin, Cliff Paul.