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Baylor’s lawsuit against Clippers could clear big hurdle
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Former NBA basketball player Elgin Baylor attends the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's 39th annual Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo on June 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
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It looks as if Elgin Baylor’s lawsuit against the National Basketball Association’s L.A. Clippers will clear a big hurdle.
Baylor spent 22 years as the Clippers’ general manager before he “resigned” before last season. But the former Laker star says the Clippers fired him because of his age and his race. That’s why he’s suing.
The Clippers and the NBA asked L.A. Superior Court Judge Kenneth Freeman to throw out the suit. But the judge says he’s inclined to let it go to trial. He’ll hear more arguments next week.
Baylor’s attorney Carl Douglas told reporters that Mike Dunleavy might have swung the decision. Dunleavy used to coach the Clippers.
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He says the team president told him before last season the Clippers might need him to take over as general manager. That was a month before Baylor supposedly “resigned.”
One note about attorney Carl Douglas: he’s Baylor’s attorney – and he’s also representing Stafon Johnson, the former USC running back who’s suing the university and a conditioning coach over his injury in a weightlifting accident.
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