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Robert Sarver Announces He Is Selling Phoenix Suns and Mercury

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The Society of the Perpetually Offended claimed another scalp on September 21st, as NBA (Phoenix Suns) and WNBA (Phoenix Mercury) owner Robert Sarver announced he was selling the teams in response to the busload of butthurt unleashed by his big fat mouth. From ESPN:

“As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness,” Sarver said in a statement Wednesday. “I expected that the commissioner’s one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.

“But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible — that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.”

While zero effort should, or can, be made to defend Sarver’s delves into language and misogynistic dumbassery, the incident does exemplify how the sole remaining sin modern society acknowledges is uttering a racial epithet, even when said instance consists of repeating what a member of said ethnic group said with no agreement implied. Lying your head off is perfectly acceptable, of course.

Setting aside the inevitable cries of social media featherweights who’ll demand Sarver be forbidden from profiting by selling the teams, some math is in order. Sarver bought the Suns in 2004 for $401M. The team’s estimated worth as of last year is $1.8B. The man is going to get paid, and all the class clowns together calling for Sarver’s head to be hoisted on a petard are guaranteed to not have the money necessary for participation in bidding for the franchises. The Suns and Mercury do not own their home court Footprint Arena, but given how they operate it and how the teams just poured over $230M into renovating the place, it’s highly unlikely new ownership would seek a vanity hometown heroes deal à la the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City Thunder move. It would not be surprising to see NBA commissioner Adam Silver privately “suggest” to LeBron James, he of the $1B portfolio, that he round up a few equally money-minded friends and make an offer. Imagine the marketing possibilities of Bronny James and Bugs Bunny both in Suns uniforms.

A bit further dive into this notion stems from a commentary by writer Phil Boaz of the Arizona Republic.

James Jones, the team’s general manager, had been a long-time teammate of LeBron James, currently the greatest player to ever hold a basketball. LeBron James has no peer in the NBA. He is the face of the league and its most powerful person. He’s worth more than $1 billion.

Here’s what Lebron James says about James Jones: “I love him. He’s the greatest teammate I’ve ever had.”

Boaz’s article also highlights WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s effluent praise of Sarver’s tenure owning the Mercury. It grows ever more apparent that Sarver is a man who, while definitely needing to clean up his act, creates dirt with his tongue yet produces diamonds by the work of his hands.

NBA Star Kyrie Irving Torpedoes NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Continued COVID Vaccine Mandates

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Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving took to Twitter Tuesday to blast the COVID vaccine mandates which cost him almost a third of the season last year—and a reported 11.4 million dollars—as he refused to get the jab despite intense public pressure and derision. New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended the private employer vaccine mandate on Tuesday, but not for city workers. They’re still required to get the injection. (On Sunday, I brought you the unbelievable story of how the Big Apple just fired over 850 teachers for not getting vaccinated. This despite a teacher shortage. Absolutely ridiculous.)

Irving came out swinging:

One of the things that has infuriated so many people during the pandemic is the often contradictory, nonsensical edicts issued by our authorities, whether it be Michigan’s order forbidding the purchase of seeds (huh?), or California’s order to close the beaches. (How stupid is that in retrospect?)

Irving was not allowed to play home games in New York City because of a vaccine mandate—but other players around the league were allowed to ball away for the season because their states didn’t have such repressive measures. In other words, Irving lost 29 games and over $11 million simply because of the fact that he’d signed with the Nets and not some other team.

The absurdity is off the charts; Irving must have thought he’d woken up in a Monty Python movie. (He’s probably too young to know who they are, but you get the point.)

Now that Irving is allowed to get on the court at Barclays Center, he’s not forgetting those that are left behind. He wrote in the above tweet:

If I can work and be unvaccinated, then all of my brothers and sisters who are also unvaccinated should be able to do the same, without being discriminated against, vilified, or fired. ♾🤞🏾

But then he really comes out swinging, declaring that pandemic mandates were an abuse of human rights:

This enforced Vaccine/Pandemic is one the biggest violations of HUMAN RIGHTS in history.

Although Irving suffered greatly for his decision to forgo the Emergency Use Authorized mRNA shots, he’s always maintained he’s not “anti-vaccine“; he just feels people should be able to make their own decisions without being forced to. ESPN gasbag Stephen A. Smith was among Irving’s harshest critics, saying in October 2021 that Irving’s stance was “some of the stupidest nonsense I’ve ever seen.”

Irving is not universally loved and likely has as many detractors as he does fans. Fellow iconoclast NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is also harshly critical of COVID mandate overkill as I wrote about last week. They, along with Novak Djokovic, have stood up against mandates at great personal cost. Many feel Irving is a kook because he’s talked about the earth being flat in the past and has a reputation as a difficult player. He decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning a championship because he didn’t like being in the shadow of LeBron James; he went to the Boston Celtics but quickly wore out his welcome there, and then he went to Brooklyn where has been entangled in this vaccine controversy.

Noted vaccine critic and Substack author Alex Berenson reacted positively:

My take is very similar to the one I wrote when covering Aaron Rodgers, who recently said that California was “going to s***” because of harsh COVID policies. Both Irving and Rodgers are a little weird, and both have made mistakes in the past. Why I cheer for them is that despite their flaws, they’re saying what they really think in a time where so many people are hiding in the shadows, terrified of saying the wrong thing, freaked out that they might get “canceled.” Maybe it takes someone a little quirky to break away from the pack of sheeple and say, “look, folks, the emperor is not actually wearing any clothes.”

Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver Receives One-Year Suspension by NBA

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Following an independent investigation commissioned by the NBA, the league has suspended Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for a year. The suspension results from racist and misogynistic language, along with bullying behavior by Sarver and within the Suns organization.

The report by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz details multiple instances of Sarver behaving badly. From the report:

The investigation finds that, during his 18-year tenure as Governor of the Suns organization, Sarver has engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards, as reflected in team and League rules and policies. This conduct included the use of racially insensitive language; unequal treatment of female employees; sex-related statements and conduct; and harsh treatment of employees that on occasion constituted bullying. The conduct was consistent over the period—of those interviewed, over 100 individuals witnessed Sarver’s statements or actions that violated applicable standards. And the conduct had a substantial impact on employees, with some witnesses describing their experiences with Sarver in emotional and forceful terms.

As set forth in more detail below, during the period:

  • Sarver said the N-word at least five times in repeating or purporting to repeat what a Black person said—four of those after being told by both Black and white subordinates that he should not use the word, even in repetition of another.
  • Sarver used language and engaged in conduct demeaning of female employees. Among other examples, he told a pregnant employee that she would be unable to do her job upon becoming a mother; berated a female employee in front of others and then commented that women cry too much; and arranged an all-female lunch so that female employees at Western Alliance Bank, where at the time he was CEO, could explain to female Suns employees how to handle his demands.
  • Sarver commented and made jokes frequently to employees in large and small settings about sex and sex-related anatomy, including by making crude or otherwise inappropriate comments about the physical appearance and bodies of female employees and other women. On four occasions, Sarver engaged in workplace-inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.
  • Over 50 current and former employees reported that Sarver frequently engaged in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees—including by yelling and cursing at them—that on occasion constituted bullying under workplace standards.

Yeah, you don’t do that.

That said, Sarver’s actions don’t always jibe with his words.

Sarver told investigators that he has made substantial personal and professional contributions to social and racial justice causes and that he has been consistently committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Among other things cited by Sarver:

  • No other team in the NBA employed a higher percentage of people of color in basketball operations (55%) than the Phoenix Suns organization.
  • Sarver has demonstrated his commitment to the development and advancement of women in sports through his investment in, and continued support of, the Phoenix Mercury.
  • In 2010, Sarver spoke out publicly against Arizona’s SB 1070—a state law authorizing law enforcement personnel to ask about the immigration status of certain persons lawfully detained—on the ground that it would have a racially disparate impact.
  • Sarver has served on the board of the National Police Foundation’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race.
  • Under Sarver’s leadership, the Suns, Phoenix Suns Charities, and the Penny and Robert Sarver Charitable Foundation have each given millions of dollars in donations to local nonprofit organizations.
  • Sarver created the “Suns Central” initiative, which has donated over 200,000 hours of tutoring and free ACT test prep to an Arizona high school located in an underserved community.

Witnesses also had positive things to say about Sarver and their experiences with him.

It sounds like Sarver is a walking contradiction. While his actions do not negate his words, they do not support them. In short, he’s a jerk with a heart. Bit of an odd combination, but human beings are often complicated critters.

We are dealing with lawyers here; thus, the report must find a pound of flesh … or at least a way to worm out of admitting Sarver isn’t the second coming of Donald Sterling.

While these witness reports and the submission received from Sarver’s counsel were informative, they were not directly relevant to the investigators’ task. The investigation did not purport to undertake a comprehensive assessment of Sarver’s views and conduct on all matters touching race, sex, and gender. Instead, the investigation sought to gather facts to determine whether, in his workplace dealings with Suns personnel, Sarver engaged in conduct contrary to standards applicable to him as Governor of the Suns organization.

It is ironic that the Suns head coach, Monty Williams, is one of the, if not the most gentlemanly individuals in all professional sports, let alone the NBA. His eulogy for his first wife, killed in a 2016 car accident caused by a wrong-way driver, is a moving tribute to love and an unshakable faith in Christ. While self-righteous sportswriters can and will scream that Sarver should be drawn and quartered, the wise will wait until Williams speaks up.