China mines become eco-zone

Running until October 25, the Qingdao International Horticultural Expo is a 241-hectare Disneyland-style complex featuring exhibits, water parks, rides and live performances.

The 23,000-square-meter Botanical Garden uses low carbon climate control systems to regulate temperatures in four distinct plant-growing climates.

The International Horticultural Expo's Theme Pavilion is one of the event's landmark buildings. Designed to look like the Chinese rose -- the city flower of Qingdao -- it has a floor space of about 28,000 square meters.

Qingdao has invited plant lovers and garden experts from 37 countries and regions, which have set up various pavilions. Sweden's pavilion has its own Ice Bar, an homage to the country's famed Ice Hotel.

The red-roofed Chinese Garden features exhibitors from various Chinese cities and regions, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

With seven themed zones, the overall design of the Expo draws inspiration from a local legend that tells the story of seven maidens descending from the heavens to seek out the most beautiful places on Earth before stopping and spreading seeds in Qingdao.

According to organizers, this is the fourth time the Expo has been held in China. The first was in Kunming in 1999 and the second was in Shenyang in 2006 followed by Xi'an in 2011.

Located inside the Chinese Garden, the Jiangxi Garden is divided into four zones: the Historical Footprint zone, the Red Revolutionary zone, the Green Rise zone and Poyang Lake ecological zone.

• Chinese coastal city Qingdao hosting 2014 International Horticultural Expo


• Expo ends October 25; 12 million visitors expected


• The Expo's 241-hectare Disneyland-style complex features exhibits, rides and live performances

(CNN) -- Qingdao, famously known as the home of Tsingtao Beer and fine beaches, has found another way to attract tourists -- plants.

The coastal city on China's eastern Shandong Province is hosting the 2014 International Horticultural Expo.

The Expo, which opened on April 25, is expected to attract 12 million visitors before it closes on October 25.

With the theme "From the Earth, For the Earth," it features gardens and pavilions specially constructed on one end of the Laoshan Mountain, one of the most sacred Taoist destinations in China.

"This event is an opportunity to promote the image of our city, exchange experiences on horticultural techniques and products across the globe and raise public awareness on ecological and environmental protection," said Expo organizer Zhu Yuetao.

Once a mining region, the Expo area has been transformed into a 241-hectare Disneyland-style complex featuring exhibits, water parks, rides and live performances.

"People from all over the world will come to Qingdao, and when they see what I have seen, they will be delighted," said Tim Briercliffe, secretary general of the International Association of Horticultural Producers.

"Millions of people will be inspired and the benefits will be enjoyed today and by future generations."

MORE: Toasting Tsingtao in Qingdao: China's beach-lined beer city

Botanical Pavilion, Qingdao Horticultural Expo

Rare plants on display

Qingdao has invited plant lovers and garden experts from 37 countries and regions, as well as Chinese provinces and cities, which have set up various pavilions.

It's even attracted the participation of the North Koreans, who have brought samples of Kimilsunglia and Kimjongilia orchids, named after late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

Another pavilion displays nearly 2,000 rare or new strains of plants, including specimens from tropical and temperate zones.

Another special attraction is the Swedish pavilion, which highlights the life of Swedish scientist Carl von Linne, father of modern botany and taxonomy.

Visitors can hit up the Ice Bar, which recreates a visit to Sweden's famed Ice Hotel.

"The whole bar is made of ice and inside you will be given provisional parkas and gloves so you can lift a nonalcoholic drink from a glass also made of ice," said Lars Freden, Sweden's ambassador to China.

"The Expo is one of the biggest exhibitions in China now, and I personally love Qingdao."

Freden first visited the city in 1980.

From 'shabby' mines to ecological wonders

Organizers say the Expo is meant to promote innovation in city planning and popularize a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle.

A section of the Expo is dedicated to eco-friendly technologies, such as an energy-saving water recycling system and waste-processing technologies.

A botanical garden was designed to operate with a low carbon climate control system to regulate temperature for various plant-growing climates.

The Expo is credited with transforming the site, which used to be dotted with mining pits notorious for degrading land and vegetation.

"By turning this shabby mining zone into an ecological city, we hope that both the city and the public will be more aware of how to maintain the balance between people and nature," said Jiang Zehui, a Beijing-based official who attended the opening ceremony.

Organizers say events such as the Expo benefit tourists and local residents alike.

"As you can see, the trash is gone, the road is clean," said Wu Zhiqiang, an urban planning professor of Shanghai's Tongji University and the chief Expo designer.

Wu was one of the main designers of the Shanghai Expo in 2008.

Visitor info

Tickets to the Expo range from 60 yuan (about $10) for evening admission to 120 yuan for single-day admission.

Tourists can also get group and student passes.

Cable cars and electric golf carts are available for a fee.

For more info on displays and events visit Qingdaoexpo2014.org.

MORE: 'Facekini women': China's weirdest beach sensation

IKEA Museum announced

IKEA has filed to build a museum in Almhult, Sweden, on the site of the recently relocated IKEA Almhult store (pictured). This is also the site of IKEA's first store built in 1958. The museum will open in fall 2015.

IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad (pictured) in 1943 as an odds-and-ends company selling products ranging from cigarette lighters to nylon stockings.

IKEA maintains a corporate presence in Almhult, with furniture testing facilities and an exhibition of the company's history entitled "IKEA Through the Ages." This photo shows the first IKEA store in 1959 or 1960.

Today, there are 355 IKEA stores in 44 countries, including France, where this innovative "bathroom" billboard stands in Paris. The latest store opened in Tachikawa, Japan, in April.

When record high temperatures hit China in 2013, an IKEA in Beijing saw a surge in interest from citizens looking for air-conditioning, comfortable sofas and a good nap.

From the IKEA Museum, we expect at least one exhibition devoted to meatballs -- horsemeat scare and all.

• IKEA Museum will be on site of first store in Älmhult, Sweden


• The 7,000-square-meter museum will also have a museum shop and food for visitors


• Museum expected to draw 200,000 visitors per year

(CNN) -- Why do their cheap meatballs taste so good?

Why are bookshelves named Billy?

Why can't store layouts be normal?

These questions, and more, will no doubt be posed by the visitors who head to the new IKEA Museum opening next year.

Of course, we might need to hammer together our own answers, having wound our way through thousands of irrelevant facts first.

But perhaps a DIY museum experience will be even more satisfying once completed.

The furniture company that changed the affordability of design has filed to build a museum on the site of its first store in Sweden.

Tentatively scheduled to open in fall 2015, the museum will take up 7,000 square meters on the site of the recently relocated IKEA store in Almhult, also the site of IKEA'S first store opened by founder Ingvar Kamprad in 1958.

IKEA town

Almhult is known as "IKEA Town" for being the birthplace of IKEA, which still maintains a strong corporate presence in the city.

While the then-17-year-old Kamprad had already registered IKEA as a business in 1943, selling products ranging from nylon stockings to cigarette lighters, the Almhult site was the first brick-and-mortar store as well as the company's first furniture showroom.

READ: The hotel room you can pack and and bring with you

A small exhibition of IKEA's history, titled "IKEA through the ages," is already in place at the basement of the corporate culture center in Älmhult, but company reps are hoping that the new museum will be a much bigger tourist draw.

"In the IKEA Museum we plan to tell the IKEA story, focusing on range, business and people development over time," said Michele Acuna, managing director for IKEA Tillsammans, the corporate culture center.

"We also plan to have a museum shop and food services for our visitors," said Acuna, adding that the museum is expected to draw "roughly 200,000 visitors annually when it is in full steam."

Would you pay a visit to the IKEA Museum in Sweden? Let us know in the comments.

MORE: Inside the world's biggest furniture fair

11 ways to see Africa from above

With fully open side doors, the 13-passenger Huey zigzags above the Zambezi River before rapidly rising up and over Victoria Falls.

African Profile Safaris offers private flights over the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta in southern Africa.

This is just part of the amazing view of Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope from the Table Mountain Cableway.

While it's far from Africa's highest bungee (216-meter/710-foot Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa is the hightest), 44-meter/144-foot Nile High Bungee offers the best view of any jump.

Skydive Diani and Kenya Skydivers offer exhilarating free falls over the Indian Ocean coast and East African bush.

Experienced climbers can make this breathtaking ascent in a single day along the Eastwood Route.

Africa's great dormant, snow-capped volcano is known for its high-altitude flora and equatorial glaciers.

Located in Kafue, Zambia's oldest and largest national park, the Busanga Plains are known for vast herds, diverse species and healthy populations of large animals. Wildlife can be seen up close from hot air balloons.

Flying over the bush in a two-seater with an open cockpit is a throwback to the days when legendary pilots such as Denys Finch Hatton and Beryl Markham explored Africa by air.

Located on Gezira Island in the middle of the Nile, the Cairo Tower was opened in 1961. A 2009 makeover added elevators, restaurants (one of them revolving) and other facilities.

Zipline fliers can control their speed as they hurtle through Tsitsikamma, a jumble of rainforest, rivers and rocky cliffs along South Africa's Garden Route.

• Vintage Huey helicopter rides over Victoria Falls began in 2013


• Private flying safaris are offered in Namibia and Botswana


• Hot air balloon safaris in Zambia offer rides "close enough to look straight into the face of a lion"

(CNN) -- Africa from the air is a breathtaking sight -- vast herds, sprawling wetlands, snow-capped peaks and rising cities.

Thanks to creative safari outfitters, aerial views of the continent are a lot more accessible than they once were.

The 11 options below showcase the best aerial tours of Africa.

1. Huey helicopter flights at Victoria Falls (Zambia)

Based in Livingstone on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls (the falls form a border between Zambia and Zimbabwe), United Air Charters introduced 20-minute flights in a "Huey" helicopter -- the widely used military helicopter -- in 2013 as a radical way to experience Africa's largest waterfall.

With fully open side doors, the 13-passenger Huey zigzags through the 125-meter-high (410 foot) rock walls of Batoka Gorge, skimming close to rapids that make this stretch of the Zambezi one of the continent's best for whitewater rafting.

Upon reaching the violent clash of water and rock called Oblivion, the chopper rapidly rises up and over Mosi-oa-Tunya ("The Smoke that Thunders") at the falls.

United Air Charters Huey tours over the falls with an open door are $175 per person for 15 minutes and $330 per person for 20 minutes

Private flying safaris take visitors over the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta.

2. Private flying safari (Namibia, Botswana)

Little trumps the glamor of a private flying safari in southern Africa, which takes visitors over the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta and delivers them to some of the most exclusive and expensive safari camps on the continent.

As one of the region's leading flying safari outfitters, African Profile Safaris lists corporate tycoons, politicians and movie stars among its clientele, and organizes flying safaris anywhere in Africa, from week-long trips around Namibia, Botswana and South Africa to month-long Cape-to-Cairo journeys.

African Profile Safaris offers 13-day fly-in safaris in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia from 60,900 rand ($5,770) per person

MORE: 26 of the most stunning spots in Africa

3. Table Mountain Cableway (South Africa)

Table Mountain Cableway opened in 1929 as a vertigo-inducing way to rise from Cape Town to the 1,084-meter (3,558-foot) summit of the giant, flat-topped peak.

In the late 1990s, the vintage cable cars were replaced by new pods that can carry 65 passengers and rotate 360 degrees.

From the top of the mountain, visitors get breathtaking panoramas of central Cape Town, the beach towns along the western edge of the peninsula, the Cape of Good Hope stretching off to the south and the old prison on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years.

Table Mountain Cableway adult return journeys are 215 rand ($20) per person

MORE: Table Mountain secures spot on 'new wonders' list

4. Nile High Bungee (Uganda)

It took European explorers hundreds of years to come into contact with the source of the Nile.

Now it can be done in a matter of seconds at Nile High Bungee.

Located in the town of Jinja near the spot where the Lake Victoria turns into the world's longest river, the jump is 44 meters (144 feet) from platform to water.

Tandem and night jumps are offered.

Leapers can also choose a full dunk -- a brief submergence in the Nile.

Nile High Bungee jumps start at $115 per person

5. Skydiving (Kenya)

An hour's drive south of Mombasa, Skydive Diani offers a year-round slate of tandem skydives, full training courses and solo jumps for qualified skydivers.

Most jumps are over a permanent drop zone at Diani Beach, but the company runs tandem operations on the coasts of Malindi and Kilifi and in the central highlands outside Nairobi.

Each March and November, Skydive Diani and the Nairobi-based Kenya Skydivers Association organize Beach Boogies, a week-long skydiving festival over the white sands and turquoise waters of Diani.

Skydive Diani offers skydives from $350 per person

READ: 9 ways to travel Africa in style

The West Face of Chambe peak is one of the continent's greatest rock-climbing challenges.

6. Climbing the West Face at Mulanje (Malawi)

Rising 1,700 meters (5,500 feet), the hulking West Face of Chambe peak on the Mulanje Massif is one of Africa's greatest rock-climbing challenges.

The wall features two distinct sections -- a 610-meter (2,000-feet) Lower Face and a 1,067-meter (3,500-feet) Upper Face.

Those who want to experience the view from the top without the death-defying climb can trek the Skyline Trail, a three-hour hike between Likhubula guest house and Chambe mountain hut.

The Mountain Club of Malawi (MCM) helps plan climbs. A seven-day trip of trekking and climbing booked through MCM costs $162

7. Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

The six-day trek up and down Africa's highest mountain (5,895 meters/19,341 feet) is one of the continent's iconic adventures.

The main routes to the top require no technical climbing experience, but trekkers should be in fairly good shape for an uphill walk that takes three and a half days.

Above 11,000 feet, head aches, shortness of breath and other symptoms of altitude sickness are common, and pulmonary edema is a real danger.

Tanzania's National Parks Authority requires that all climbers be accompanied by a licensed guide.

Ultimate Kilimanjaro offers seven ways to reach the summit. Hikes start at $2,200 per person

MORE: 20 years of photographing in Africa

8. Busanga Plains hot air balloon trip (Zambia)

"There's nothing like it," says balloon pilot Erik Hesemans of the low-level gliding he does over Zambia's wildlife-rich Busanga Plains with Namib Sky Balloon Safaris.

"Sometimes we're only three meters above the ground -- close enough to look straight into the face of a lion or hippo as you're flying past."

Hesemans pioneered the maneuver over the red hot dunes of the Namib Desert and brought "skimming" to Zambia's savannah country in 2012.

Hesemans brings his balloons to Busanga during the dry season between June and October, when animals are drawn to waterholes and are thus easier to spot from the air.

See a video here.

Busanga Bush Camp starts at $799 per person per night; hot air balloon safari is complimentary (and only) for guests who stay minimum three nights

Kwa Madwala Private Game Reserve's private microlight flight.

9. Microlight flights over Kruger National Park (South Africa)

Microlights -- lightweight, fixed-wing aircraft -- have been a fixture at South Africa's Kruger National Park for more than a decade, offering bird's-eye views of elephant, rhino, buffalo and other African wildlife.

Kwa Madwala Private Game Reserve on Kruger's south side is one of the few lodges with its own microlight -- a sturdy little Bantam that takes off from a grass runway.

A six-cylinder engine powers the small aircraft on 15-minute, half-hour and hour-long flights over Kruger, including a glide down the Crocodile River.

Kwa Madwala's Manyatta Rock Camp starts at 1,600 rand ($150) per person per night with microlight flights from 650 rand ($61) per person

MORE: The haunting wildlife photography of David Yarrow

10. Cairo Tower (Egypt)

Inspired by the lotus columns of the Temple of Luxor and other ancient monuments, Cairo Tower rises 187 meters (613 feet) above Egypt's brooding capital city and remains the third tallest building on the continent more than 50 years after it was first built.

From the open-air observation deck at the top, visitors gaze down on central Cairo, up the Nile Valley to the Great Pyramid of Giza and across to the great citadel that dominates eastern Cairo.

Cairo Tower observation deck access is 70 Egyptian pounds ($10) per person

11. Tsitsikamma zipline (South Africa)

Africa's best zipline soars through the extraordinary wilderness of Tsitsikamma, featuring an hour-long "flight" through the Kruis River Gorge over three waterfalls.

The zigzag route features eight different "slides" or cables, one of them the length of two soccer fields.

Thanks to a patented braking system, fliers can control their speed and come to a complete stop midway along the slides to take in indigenous flora and fauna.

Tsitsikamma zipline rates are 350 rand ($33) per person

Joe Yogerst is a freelance travel, business and entertainment writer based out of California.

Thai government taken by surprise

• NEW: Professor: The situation is "very volatile"


• Thailand's Army has declared martial law


• "People are urged not to panic," the army's TV channel says


• Report: All Thai TV stations are being guarded by the military

Bangkok (CNN) -- [Breaking news update at 8:34 p.m. ET Monday]

The Thai government was not consulted ahead of the imposition of martial law by the Thai military, and the government is meeting to discuss the situation, an aide to the Thai Prime Minster told CNN. "They took this action unilaterally. The government is having a special meeting regarding this. We have to watch and see if the army chief honors his declaration of impartiality," the aide said, describing the situation as "half a coup d'etat."

[Original story, posted at 8:29 p.m ET Monday]

Army declares martial law in Thailand

(CNN) -- The Thai Army declared martial law throughout the country Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Nipat Thonglek told CNN.

It was not immediately clear whether the move had been approved by the country's embattled Prime Minister.

"The Army aims to maintain peace, order and public safety for all groups and all parties," a ticker running on the Army's television channel said. "People are urged not to panic, and can carry on their business as usual. Declaring martial law is not a coup d'etat."

Martial law went into effect at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the ticker said.

All Thai TV stations are being guarded by the military, Thai public television announced, showing pictures of soldiers and armored vehicles taking positions outside broadcast facilities in the country's capital.

The dramatic announcements come days after the head of the army issued a stern warning after political violence had surged in the country's capital.

Political tensions have been running high in Thailand. Supporters and opponents of the country's government have staged mass protests in recent days, and caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from office, along with nine cabinet ministers, by a top court earlier this month.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor, described the situation as "very volatile."

"This is a precarious time now for the army," he said. "They have to be even-handed."

If the military appears to be favoring one side, he said, violence could escalate rather than cool down.

"If it's seen as favoring one side or the other side, then we could see more violence and turmoil against the military," he said.

Nipat said the precise restrictions of martial law were being worked out.

The government's "red shirt" support base, many of whom hail from the country's rural north and northeast, view Yingluck's ouster as a "judicial coup" and have been protesting what they consider an unfair bias by many of the country's institutions against their side.

Anti-government protesters are seeking a new government -- but not through elections, which the opposition Democrat Party has boycotted, arguing the alleged corruption of their political rivals makes widespread reform necessary before any meaningful vote can be held.

CNN's Kocha Olarn reported from Bangkok. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta.

Sterling faces deadline; vote set

• NEW: Shelly Sterling's attorney said she is innocent victim, should keep her half of team


• The 80-year-old billionaire owns the team with his wife


• He is charged with damage to the NBA and to its relationship with its fans


• Sterling is already fighting his huge fine and lifetime banishment

(CNN) -- Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has until May 27 to respond to the National Basketball Association, which on Monday "initiated a charge" seeking to terminate all ownership rights in the franchise, the NBA announced in a written statement.

Sterling, who owns the team with his wife, Shelly, through a family trust, will also be allowed to make a presentation at a special Board of Governors meeting scheduled for June 3.

In order to terminate the Sterlings' franchise rights, 75% of the other 29 owners would have to vote to sustain the charge and force a sale.

The 80-year-old lawyer and billionaire real estate investor is already fighting a $2.5 million fine and a lifetime ban imposed by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Through his lawyer, Maxwell Blecher, the longtime owner has argued he has been denied due process.

The league said its reputation and relationship with its fans have been damaged by Sterling's racist remarks to V. Stiviano that were posted online in April by TMZ and in an interview with CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."

The NBA's suspension and $2.5-million fine for Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling sent shockwaves through the sports world, but it's not the first time a league has cracked down on a team owner.

Bleacher Report has dubbed Mark Cuban the "King of NBA fines. The notoriously vocal Dallas Mavericks owner has been forced to pay more than $1.8 million in fines since he bought the team in 2000, many of them for colorful language and criticism of referees.

Former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott was suspended from Major League Baseball in 1993 and 1996 for several controversial comments, among them racial epithets against players. In a 1996 interview, she said this about Adolf Hitler: "Everybody knows that he was good at the beginning, but he just went too far." She was forced to sell her controlling interest of the Reds in 1999.

Before the announcement about Sterling's suspension, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was the only owner suspended in the NBA in 68 years. The league suspended Taylor in 2000 for a season after the Timberwolves made a secret deal with a star player to circumvent salary cap rules. Now, Taylor is chairman of the NBA board of governors, which Commissioner Adam Silver has asked to vote on stripping Sterling's ownership of the Clippers.

The NFL suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. for his role in a racketeering scandal tied to riverboat casino licenses. DeBartolo pleaded guilty in 1998 to felony charges of failing to report an extortion case, according to Bleacher Report. By 2000 he was forced to cede control of the team to his sister.

As former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt's bitter divorce became a cloud over the franchise, his financial turmoil forced Major League Baseball to take over the day-to-day operations of the team in 2011. League Commissioner Bud Selig accused McCourt of "looting" the club of $190 million to fund an extravagant lifestyle. McCourt filed for bankruptcy later that year. During bankruptcy proceedings, McCourt agreed to sell the team under a bidding process.

The late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball for making illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon in 1974. He was banned for life in 1990 after paying a gambler $40,000 to get damaging information about a player, but Major League Baseball reinstated him three years later.

The NBA said Miami Heat owner Micky Arison had been fined in 2011 for posting about the league's collective bargaining process on Twitter. The amount of the fine was not disclosed, but several media reports said it was $500,000.

The NBA slapped Aubrey McClendon, partial owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a $250,000 fine in 2007 after he told an Oklahoma newspaper that he hoped to move the team, then known as the Seattle SuperSonics, to Oklahoma.

The NBA fined former Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss $25,000 and suspended him for two games in 2007 after his conviction on a misdemeanor drunk driving charge. Buss died in 2013.

The outspoken CNN founder and former Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner was suspended for a year in 1977 for negotiating a deal with a player who was under contract to play for the San Francisco Giants.

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Team owners behaving badly

Anderson Cooper's inside story

Donald Sterling's apology fallout

"Among other things, Mr. Sterling disparaged African-Americans and 'minorities'; directed a female acquaintance not to associate publicly with African-Americans or to bring African-Americans to Clippers games; and criticized African-Americans for not supporting their communities," the statement said.

Last week, Sterling hired Blecher, an antitrust lawyer who has worked with him in the past, to fight the NBA.

Shelly Sterling has said she wants to keep an ownership stake in the team but doesn't want to be the controlling partner.

Her attorney said she still hopes to resolve the "dispute with the NBA."

"Based on our initial assessment, we continue to believe there is no lawful basis for stripping Shelly Sterling of her 50 percent ownership interest in the Clippers. She is the innocent estranged spouse," Pierce O'Donnell said.

CNN also reached out to the attorneys for Donald Sterling on Monday but didn't hear back immediately.

In an exclusive interview with CNN's "AC 360" last week, Sterling repeatedly denied he is a racist but admitted he made a mistake making the remarks that were recorded.

In the recording, which drew widespread condemnation from fans, players and the league after it appeared on TMZ, Sterling chastises Stiviano for posting pictures online of her posing with African-Americans, including NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson. He tells her not to bring Johnson to Clippers games.

"Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don't put (Magic) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me," he said.

"In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with -- walking with black people," he said during a different portion of the recording.

Sterling, who has owned the team since 1981, said he was baited into saying those remarks.

The Clippers' turbulent season ended late Thursday in a 104-98 loss to Oklahoma City. The Thunder won the series four games to two.

Dick Parsons, a former chairman of Citigroup and Time Warner, was tapped by the NBA to be the team's interim chief executive.

CNN's Jill Martin and Stephanie Elam contributed to this report.