Sterling went above and beyond a simple "I don't like blacks." He came out and basically said that "I own the Clippers, so I own these black players, and even though I don't like blacks, that's the reality of professional basketball and these guys should be grateful that I do own them and treat them well." The Clippers then had to come out and play an important playoff game in uniforms bearing the Clippers logo. The players have no recourse in the matter, which is a shame. If my boss had a similar attitude about blacks (or whites, or Christians, or homosexuals, or anything I disagreed with) I have the freedom to leave my job to work elsewhere. NBA players do not have that same luxury.
Screaming that basketball players are racists too is the same as saying "well, everyone else does it, so that makes it OK!" No, it doesn't, and racism is wrong on every level, but when a man like Sterling holds these neolithic attitudes toward his employees, who have no ability to reciprocate with protests or leaving their job, that's the injustice here. Sterling can be a racist all he wants, but when he is in such a position of power over his employees, particularly those employees who he exhibits a racial bias, that makes it wrong and he has no place as an owner in the NBA.
To go and blame the victims in this situation is entirely wrong. Players shouldn't be forced to respond to Sterling, nor should fans feel obligated to boycott the games after spending money on tickets and merchandise. The only real recourse here is for Sterling to be removed as an owner, which itself only has value as a symbolic gesture. The Clippers are not Sterling' "livelihood", as krellin seems to think. He can fall back on his real estate businesses, where he was also sued recently for racial discrimination in housing practices.