Suns Owner Makes Shocking Statement, Ready To Sell Franchise

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver released a statement on Wednesday regarding his tenure as the owner of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA Mercury. 

He has decided to begin the process of selling both stakes of the franchises. 

Statement enclosed from Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver that he will sell both franchises: https://t.co/DfeTbDyEWJ

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 21, 2022

The decision by Sarver to sell may not be huge surprise due to the allegations that surfaced of sexual misconduct in the workplace in connection to the Suns owner last season. The NBA launched an investigation after an ESPN story was released citing multiple occasions in which Sarver caused inappropriate actions that included racism and misogyny during his 17-year tenure as the owner of an NBA franchise.

Commissioner Adam Silver decided to suspend Sarver for one entire season, where he would be banned from all games, practices, and anything associated with both of his franchises/NBA activities. He was also fined $10 million.  

Sarver believed his one-year suspension would give him time to make amends and remove himself from the controversy surrounding him, but ultimately realized that it would not be possible due to the worlds "unforgiving climate."

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 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.

Sarver concluded his statement by iterating that he did not want to be a distraction to his two teams and believes the process of selling both franchises is the best course of action for all parties involved. 

Pressure by the NBA community may have led to Sarver's decision to begin selling his teams as well, as the decision by the NBA to not ban Sarver permanently due to his past transgressions was met with quite the backlash.  

This included statements from co-owners of the Suns and LeBron James via social media, condemning the NBA for not giving Sarver a harsher punishment due to his misconduct as owner and possibly forcing him to sell his team. 

Silver had previously banned former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life in 2014 and forced him to sell the Clippers due to racist remarks he made that were recorded and ultimately released to the public by TMZ.