The Phoenix Suns saw their team owner Robert Sarver get fined $10 million and suspended from the NBA for 1 year after an investigation into inappropriate workplace conduct proved that the way Sarver acts with people working for him is flawed and full of micro-aggressions.
Many people are upset that the Suns haven’t been put in the same situation as the LA Clippers when the Donald Sterling scandal broke. When Sterling was investigated, the NBA found a smoking gun of proof through a call where everyone could hear him making racist comments first-hand. In Sarver’s case, all the allegations about him have come from various second-hand sources and testimonials, which makes it harder for the league to legally justify the expulsion of Sarver from the league.
Despite that, Matt Barnes has come out and expressed his disappointment with the NBA for not kicking Sarver out of the league. Barnes was an active member of the LA Clippers when the Sterling scandal broke.
“I think Robert Sarver was a perfect candidate to get kicked out of the NBA, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels that way. Unfortunately, the NBA decided not to,”
"There’s no place for hate"
Former #Suns Forward @Matt_Barnes22 tells @RickKamlaSports & @adaniels33 he was hoping the punishment would be worse for Robert Sarver pic.twitter.com/UzzSmD3cFk
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 13, 2022
Should The NBA Have Kicked Robert Sarver Out?
From the results of the investigation, a lot of the things that have been alleged against Sarver seem unacceptable in the modern NBA. Outside just the stories around him creating an inappropriate work culture, his behavior with female employees and his casual use of the n-word makes it harder to justify him not getting the same treatment as Donald Sterling.
Hopefully, the players can show their disdain for having to play for a Robert Sarver-owned team. Free agents can choose to skim over the Phoenix Suns, even if they have Devin Booker under a long-term contract.
The NBA would have looked better if they kicked Sarver out but the legal justification for something like that needs to be airtight. If the proof meant that the league couldn’t justify kicking Sarver out, they have taken a decision accordingly and given him one of the largest fines in North American sports history.
