Hey everyone, it's Ramona Shelburne. I'm the host of the Sterling Affairs, and in anticipation of the TV series clipped, we're re-releasing this series.

Before every episode, I'll be sharing a quick look behind the scenes at what it was like reporting the

Sterling affairs in real time. In this episode you'll be hearing a lot from

Shelley Sterling. I really didn't know Shelley before this scandal, but we kept in pretty close touch ever since.

We'd chat on the phone or we'd go to lunch, usually Spago and Beverly Hills.

But that wasn't the same thing as getting her to go on the record and participate in this podcast.

We met at the Beverly Hills Plaza Hotel in February of 2019. I'd spent all morning on

TV covering the NBA Trade deadline and I remember being exhausted and nervous driving across town to do that. the up last the hours. We started off with lunch but I kept ordering ice teas so we could keep talking.

About 90 minutes in a fight broke out outside the hotel. It was so loud we had to stop recording.

But in the end, we got the interview.

Sometimes I wonder why Shelly agreed to talk to me.

I think maybe it's because for years people had just cast her as Donald Sterling's wife,

but I always knew that she was much more than that.

You'll see in this episode.

Shelly Sterling thought she was just going to return some clothes to Neiman Marcus,

when she got in her Mercedes-Benz station wagon and made the drive from

Malibu to Beverly Hills.

It was early in the spring of 2014 and even though Shelly was almost 80 years old.

She was still going into town, as rich people call Beverly Hills,

four or five days a week.

It's hard to guess She's age if you don't know it,

because she keeps her hair this convincing pale blonde and

...