New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver passed his first big test when he took strong and decisive action on Donald Sterling. Silver imposed a lifetime ban on the Clippers owner and also fined him $ 2.5 million, the maximum allowed.

The decision was based on the findings of a league investigation on the audio tapes-which they verified to be the voice of Donald Sterling. The league released the official statement on nba.com:

"NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has banned Donald Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers or the NBA, it was announced today at a press conference in Manhattan.

Commissioner Silver has also fined Mr. Sterling $2.5 million, the maximum amount allowed under the NBA Constitution. The fine money will be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts that will be jointly selected by the NBA and the Players Association.

As part of the lifetime ban, Mr. Sterling may not attend any NBA games or practices, be present at any Clippers office or facility, or participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He will also be barred from attending NBA Board of Governors meetings and participating in any other league activity.

Commissioner Silver also announced that he will urge the Board of Governors to exercise its authority to force a sale of the team.

The discipline issued today is based on the Commissioner's conclusion that Mr. Sterling violated league rules through his expressions of offensive and hurtful views, the impact of which has been widely felt throughout the league."

Adam Silver expressed confidence in the press conference: "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him.

The rebuke was swift-just three days after the scandal. It is the harshest penalty ever issued by the league and one of the stiffest punishments ever imposed to an owner in professional sports.

Now, Silver urges the basketball world to move on and shift their focus on the games-one of which is the LA Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors:

"This has all happened in three days, and so I am hopeful there will be no long-term damage to the league and to the Clippers organization. But as I said earlier, I'm outraged, so I certainly understand other people's outrage. This will take some time, and appropriate healing will be necessary."