From Podcast to Screen: How FX’s “Clipped” Brings the Sterling Scandal to Life

The 12 months is 2014. Serena Williams received her 18th Grand Slam, LeBron James returned residence to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Los Angeles Kings received the Stanley Cup. However the sports activities world was shaken to its core when a recording was leaked of Donald Sterling, the previous proprietor of the Los Angeles Clippers making racist feedback to his then-assistant V. Stiviano. The leak pressured the NBA and its followers to confront racial tensions which have been mendacity beneath the floor of the NBA for years. Now 10 years later, FX’s restricted collection “Clipped” profiles how the lives of V. Stiviano, Doc Rivers, Shelly Sterling, Donald Sterling, and the remainder of the Clippers group needed to reconcile with the results of the inaction of one of the dysfunctional franchises in sports activities.

Viewers are transported into the Clippers’ locker room to witness the portrayals of the troublesome conversations the gamers needed to make when the Sterling tape was leaked. In an interview with the Hoopsology Podcast, J. Alphonse Nicholson who performs Chris Paul said he knew the story had many uncomfortable moments however he felt the collection was ready so as to add lighter moments to the story. 

“There is a skinny line, that you simply play with it. And I believe we had been in a position to type of leap to either side. So it is like, hey, we’ll make you snort. However yeah, we’ll make you cry and assume so much as properly,” Nicholson mentioned.

“Clipped” relies on the 30 for 30 podcast, “The Sterling Affairs” which is hosted by ESPN senior author Ramona Shelburne. The critically acclaimed podcast acquired a lot curiosity in adapting it right into a scripted tv collection. After vetting quite a lot of totally different writers, the accountability to convey the story to life fell to Gina Welch who turned, the showrunner, government producer, and author of a number of episodes. 

Whereas speaking to the Hoopsology Podcast, Shelburne defined how being closely concerned within the creation of “Sterling Affairs” created anticipation to see her podcast come to life through a story advised on tv. 

“It was type of enjoyable to sit down again and simply, , do what they wanted me to do as a producer on this and as a advisor, but in addition simply type of allow them to do their Hollywood magic,” Shelburne said.