There is never any place for racism.

The NBA is a sports league in which 80 percent of the players are minorities. It is a league that draws a strong fanbase from minority audiences. But even if that weren’t the case, there would be no room for racism, especially for a team owner.

The comments by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling were intolerable and needed an unequivocal response by the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver. The commissioner is to be commended for doing the players, the fans and the other owners proud. He stood up to bigotry when, on Tuesday, he banned Sterling from the NBA for life and fined him $2.5 million.

America applauds Silver. It was a distinguished day in the history of sports.

The ban means Sterling cannot attend games or practices, make player or league decisions or engage in the day-to-day business. He cannot even set the price of a hot dog at his own games.

What’s more, Silver said he will work with the other owners to garner a majority to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. Farewell, bigot.

Too often, when the super wealthy make mistakes that would ruin the lives of the moderately rich or middle-class types, they go unpunished. Having the deepest of pockets saves them. It’s good to see in this case that Sterling gets what he is due.

If you see racism in your lives, stand up to it. Do the right thing. Tell the racists that their behavior is wrong. Silver set a good example for all.