DALLAS (AP) -- Former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin says some people in America share the same views as ousted Clippers owner Donald Sterling. He says focusing only on Sterling misses the progress blacks have made.

Irvin spoke Monday on a panel with NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' annual meeting in Dallas.

Irvin warned against making "absolutes out of things," saying he empathized with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's discussion of his own prejudices -- comments that created controversy on their own.

Abdul-Jabbar said sports were still a powerful way to bring different races together, citing championship parades in Los Angeles and Jackie Robinson's integration of the major leagues.

Sacramento mayor and former NBA point guard Kevin Johnson is president of the conference.

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