NBA: Phoenix Suns Owner Fined $10M for Misconduct

Facts

• On Tuesday, the NBA announced that the owner of the Phoenix Suns, Robert Sarver, faces a one year suspension and a $10M fine – the maximum amount permitted by the NBA – following a misconduct probe.¹
• During his ban, Sarver – who also owns the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury – will be restricted from representing, or being involved in, any of his franchises. He will also be prohibited from attending the franchises' facilities or events. The NBA will require both teams to engage in several workplace improvements.²
• This comes after an investigation determined that he created a toxic environment during his tenure, by using racial insults, yelling at employees, and discriminating against female employees.³
• Accusations of racism and misogyny against Sarver were first reported by ESPN on Nov. 4, 2021 - the League then commissioned a New York-based law firm to investigate the claims.⁴
• Investigators have validated the allegations by analyzing more than 80K documents and materials, such as emails and videos, as well as conducting interviews with 320 individuals, including some of Sarver's current and former employees.⁵
• In 2014, former Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, was forced to sell his franchise after the NBA issued him a lifetime ban over racist remarks.⁶

Sources: ¹ESPN, ²Guardian, ³New York Times, ⁴NBC, ⁵CBS and ⁶Forbes.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by MSNBC. Although this decision reinforces the NBA's commitment to holding franchise owners accountable for their wrongdoings, the League must not be praised for imposing merely a one-year ban and a fine on Sarver. His actions, like Los Angeles Clippers' former owner Donald Sterling, warranted a lifetime ban - the only difference between their actions is that Sterling's racist remarks were recorded.
• Narrative B, as provided by Sports Illustrated. There's no doubt that Sarver is a repulsive person who, ideally, shouldn't be allowed to own an NBA team. However, the League couldn't do anything more to punish his behavior. Unlike in the Sterling case, banning Sarver for life and forcing him to sell his franchises would drag the NBA into a legal battle they have a questionable chance of winning.