Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver has been suspended one year by the NBA for sexist and racist language after the league launched an investigation following a bombshell report from ESPN last year.
Sarver was also fined $10 million, the maximum allowed by the league, which will be donated to organizations addressed race- and gender-based discrimination in the workplace.
The league handed down its suspension on Thursday after the Nov. 21, 2021, article triggered an investigation that included 320 interviews with current and former Phoenix employees, according to the NBA.
Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver watches the team play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Phoenix, Dec. 11, 2019.
Ross D. Franklin/AP, FILE
Sarver had owned the Suns and the WNBA's Mercury since purchasing the team in 2004 from previous owner Jerry Colangelo.
The report details at least fives times Sarver used the n-word "when recounting the statements of others." The ESPN article detailed a conversation between Sarver, who is white, and then-coach Earl Watson, who is Black, in which he repeatedly used the n-word while questioning why Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, who is Black, could use the term when Sarver could not.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
