The Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury have been put up for sale by majority owner Robert Sarver, who was embroiled in a scandal that revealed his inappropriate behavior in the workplace from 2004 onwards. While the NBA had initially fined Sarver $10 million and suspended him for a year, pressure from the minority owner, players around the league, and sponsors pushed Sarver into announcing his intention to sell.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry spoke about the situation at length at media day, revealing that he had conversations with Adam Silver about the issue and that Sarver selling the team is what should have happened anyway based on the actions of the Suns’ owner.
“I think the outcome was exactly what should have happened. I had conversations with Adam Silver directly and got his point of view on what decisions and mechanisms he had to intervene and bring down a punishment worthy of the actions that we’re responding to and represent the league as a whole and protect the integrity of the league. The standard we set in terms of, from executives and owners all the way to the players, there should be a standard of what’s tolerable and what’s not. The outcome is exactly what it should have been. Honestly, I thought with the punishment that was handed out, it would drag on a little longer. But I am glad that we got to the point where both teams are for sale and we can kinda move on.”
"I think the outcome was exactly what should've happened… There should be a standard around what's tolerable and what's not… I'm glad we kinda got to the point where the team's for sale sooner or later."
Stephen Curry on the Robert Sarver situationpic.twitter.com/8Fiig2acU9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 25, 2022
Stephen Curry Joins The Long List Of NBA Personalities Wanting Sarver To Sell
There had been a lot of pushback on Sarver being the owner of the Suns after his 1-year suspension was over because of his actions. The last time something like this happened was in 2014 with Donald Sterling and the NBA swiftly made the Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, sell his team.
Bill Simmons had revealed that the NBA was hoping Sarver would sell based on the fallout from the news and that they were going to be using Michael Jordan to put pressure on Sarver to sell the team. This is after players like LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Sarver’s own point guard, Chris Paul, all lobbied for Sarver to sell the team.
The sale of the team will be a slow process but the league can take solace in the fact that Robert Sarver’s controversial ownership of the Phoenix Suns will finally end and the team can hopefully, pivot to being a championship-winning squad under new ownership.
