According to the Associated Press on Tuesday, the National Basketball Association has suspended Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver of Tucson, Arizona for one year and fined him $10 million for “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.” Sarver is being disciplined for “racist, misogynistic and hostile” allegations of which he has denied through his legal team.
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Among the specific incidents the NBA is suspending Sarver for include inappropriate comments made to Suns employees, a comment about an employee’s breasts, references to condoms, exposing himself to male employees, and sending inappropriate emails that contained pornography. According to Joseph Salvador of Sports Illustrated, Robert Sarver’s wife Penny also sent emails to former Suns employees defending her husband.
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Sarver’s lawyer Thomas Clare has stated Sarver has a “longstanding commitment to social and racial justice,” is committed to “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the claims against him are “demonstrably false,” and that “Mr. Sarver is one of few NBA owners who continues to support and advance the development of women’s professional basketball.” In addition to owning the Suns, Sarver also owns the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.
The suspension and fine toward Sarver comes eight years after the NBA banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life after a series of racist remarks. The team was taken over by Steve Ballmer, the former chief executive officer of Microsoft.
The Suns had the best regular season record in the NBA last year at 64 wins and 18 losses. However, in the postseason, they were beaten in seven games by the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.
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