Sponsors Adidas, Samsung & Yokohama Return to LA Clippers after Sterling Ban

A number of sponsors have reinstated their sponsorships with the Los Angeles Clippers after National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver banned team owner Donald Sterling for life for making racist remarks.

Adidas AG, and  Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd and Yokohama have all revealed they will return to the franchise a day after about a dozen companies suspended or ended their sponsorships with the Clippers, capsule Silver said at a news conference on Tuesday that he would urge the league’s owners to force Sterling to sell his franchise.

Adidas, search the NBA’s official uniform supplier, a day earlier had suspended its sponsorship with the team. It said Tuesday that it fully supported Silver’s decision, which came hours before the Clippers defeated the Warriors 113-103 to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series. Adidas is the second-largest sporting goods maker behind Nike Inc.

“While our sponsorship is reinstated, tonight our traditional ads and logo placements will be replaced with the Clippers logo and We Are One’ to support the team and fans in the healing process,” Lauren Lamkin, a spokeswoman for Herzogenaurach, Germany-based Adidas, said.

South Korea-based Samsung, which had also announced it was suspending its advertising with the Clippers, said in a statement that it was proud to be a “close partner” of the NBA.

The Clippers’ website Tuesday showed only a small team logo and the words “We Are One” in white on a black screen.

Yokohama Tire Corp. plans to continue its support of the Los Angeles Clippers team. Both Yokohama and the team have reached an agreement where Yokohama will immediately reinstate its sponsorship of the team with half of the 2014 NBA playoff sponsorship funds being earmarked to a charity instead of the organization.

“Yokohama applauds NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s leadership and actions by banning Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life from any association with the team or NBA,” said Andrew Briggs, director of Yokohama’s marketing and product planning.