NBA punishment fast and welcome

Bravo to National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver for acting quickly and forcefully after racist remarks by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling were made public Saturday.

Silver on Tuesday banned the billionaire for life from having any association with the Clippers or the NBA and fined him $2.5 million as well.

There also is a good chance Sterling will be removed as the Clippers’ owner, pending approval by at least 75 percent of the other owners, the minimum required under NBA rules.

Sterling’s remarks about blacks in particular were amazingly brazen and hard to stomach. They came on the heels of similarly inflammatory remarks by embattled Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy — adding to the incredulity that after all the progress made in race relations in recent decades, such incidents still occur.

Jack Johnson shows some love

Another local favorite is returning to perform in Hawaii, and this time the hometown crowd gets first crack at tickets.

Jack Johnson is performing Aug. 1 at the Waikiki Shell, and when tickets go on sale May 10, they’ll initially be available only to Hawaii residents.

The restriction, which also includes a limit of four tickets per purchase, will be lifted the following day.

Kudos to one of the North Shore’s own for looking out for his earliest fans.

Let’s hope that superstar Bruno Mars is taking notes for next time.