Michael Jordan was quick to come down hard on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for the racist remarks he made against African-Americans during a recorded phone call, which was released by TMZ.

But in a new book, entitled Michael Jordan: The Life, MJ himself admits to being a racist against white people through much of his teenage years growing up in the South. Jordan even recalls an incident when he was called the n-word by a girl in school in 1977.

“So I threw a soda at her,” he says in the book, as reported by the New York Daily News. “I was really rebelling. I considered myself a racist at the time. Basically, I was against all white people.”

Jordan goes on to state that his mother was the one who convinced him to not allow his life to be consumed by racial hatred, and that finally allowed him to not harbor such strong feelings against white people.

Jordan, who owns the Charlotte Bobcats, was one of the most outspoken owners against Sterling two weeks back.

“I look at this from two perspectives — as a current owner and a former player,” Jordan said in a statement. “As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views. As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA — or anywhere else — for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed.

“I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport,” Jordan added. “In a league where the majority of players are African American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level.”

Jordan was one of many to comment about Sterling, joining the likes of Magic Johnson, Oprah Winfrey and even President Obama, to name a few, who all weighed in on the story. 

Michael Jordan: The Life was released on Tuesday. 

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