One of the biggest talking points in the NBA in recent weeks has been the punishment the league handed out to Phoenix Suns’ owner, Robert Sarver. After a long investigation, Sarver was found to have engaged in inappropriate workplace conduct, doing things that can be deemed sexist and racist. And the league responded by handing him a 1-year suspension and a $10 million fine.
This punishment wasn’t exactly well received, though, with several people speaking out about how it wasn’t enough. LeBron James made his voice heard, and in what has become his style, Draymond Green also called the league out by explaining how Sarver cannot be allowed to return. And eventually, the pressure seems to have worked, with Sarver announcing that he would sell the team.
Shaquille O’Neal Explained A Key Issue With Robert Sarver’s Punishment
Shaquille O’Neal became the latest NBA player to give his take on the situation, providing a unique angle to the whole thing. When it seemed like Sarver would just serve a 1-year suspension and return, Shaq didn’t believe that there was any way he would stay away from the team entirely. And he said as much on the Big Podcast with Shaq.
(starts at 19:49 minutes):
“I thought the fine that they gave Sarver was minimum,” O’Neal said. “I thought it was if a major crime was committed, it’ll be equivalent to a guy getting probation, right? And they suspended him for one year, and you know, they gave him a fine of $10 million. I didn’t read all the stuff that was going on, but when you see the N-word, when you see sexism, and when you see this and that, you know, mistreatment of people and to be suspended for one year.
“Listen, suspended means you can’t show up. But if I’m suspended from Shaq’s shoe Industries, you best believe I’m still running it. I might not be in the Shaq shoe building, but I’m gonna be like, ‘Hey man, get them out of boom, boom, boom.’ Like, I’mma still be running. So, the fact that you say he’s suspended means he can’t come to the games and he can’t show up in the building, but he’s still gonna be running. So, I thought it was very minimal what they did.”
There is truth to the fact that despite being suspended, Sarver could be pulling a lot of strings from behind the scenes. Shaq isn’t wrong when he suggests that most business owners would think this way. In any case, the punishment seems to have led to the ideal result, with Sarver selling the team. Considering the names of potential buyers that have been thrown around, it could be an exciting new era for the Suns.
