In the wake of an ESPN story on Phoenix Suns majority owner Robert Sarver, which detailed allegations of racist, misogynistic and hostile incidents during his 17-year tenure, the NBA says it is launching a probe to further investigate the team and his conduct.
“The allegations contained in today’s ESPN article are extremely serious, and we have directed the Wachtell Lipton law firm to commence a comprehensive investigation,” the NBA said in a statement. “The NBA and WNBA remain committed to providing a respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees. Once the investigation is completed, its findings will provide the basis for any league action.”
The NBA players association released its own statement shortly after, expressing support for the league’s decision to conduct the investigation.
According to the ESPN investigation, more than 70 current and former Suns employees were interviewed, describing a sometimes toxic and hostile workplace plagued with racism and sexism.
Among the wide-ranging allegations, Earl Watson, the former Suns coach, said Sarver was upset that Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green used the N-word during a game in 2016 and that the owner repeated the N-word several times when voicing his displeasure. Watson said he told Sarver that he can’t use that word.
Sarver, in a statement released following the publication of the story, refuted Watson’s characterization of events.
“The N-word is not part of my vocabulary,” the statement reads. “I have never called anyone or any group of people the N-word, or referred to anyone or any group of people by that word either verbally or in writing. I don’t use that word. It is abhorrent and ugly and denigrating and against everything I believe in.”
Watson, who now serves as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, issued a statement of his own on Thursday evening, applauding “the courage of the numerous players, executives, and staffers for fighting toxic environments of racial insensitivity, sexual harassment, and micro-aggressions with their truth.
“I am not interested in engaging in an ongoing battle of fact,” Watson’s statement read. “Basketball and 17 years in the NBA has allowed me the financial privilege to speak my truth, but we can’t forget about those who must remain silent for fear of losing their jobs. While our fortitude assists with progress, there is still more work to be done in the name of equality, and I believe that one of the strengths of our league is its ongoing commitment to justice.
“This has been a traumatic experience, one that has affected me profoundly, and I am not willing to relive it every day. But I will not forget it, and I will address it more fulsomely at a point in the future when I feel ready.
In addition to Watson’s story, the ESPN report went on to detail several other incidents, including a time during which Sarver passed around a picture of his wife in a Suns bikini to employees. The report says more than a dozen employees also said Sarver had a history of “making lewd comments in all-staff meetings.”
The Suns, in their statement on the report, said the organization “vehemently rejects” the allegations published by ESPN.
In ESPN’s report, Sarver, who has owned the Suns since 2004 and also owns the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, denied or disputed most of the allegations through his legal team. He later publicly said he would welcome an investigation by the league.
“At this point, I would entirely welcome an impartial NBA investigation which may prove our only outlet for clearing my name and reputation of an organization of which I’m so very proud,” Sarver wrote in his statement.
Two current Suns employees reportedly said there is considerable internal support throughout the organization for an independent investigation into the franchise’s culture, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, who wrote the initial story on the Suns, and Adrian Wojnarowski.
Many employees are believed to be “more than willing to talk” to investigators, though a looming concern is ensuring that sensitive information as well as their identities remain protected.
Other former members of the Suns went on record supporting the investigation, too.
Ryan McDonough, who was the general manager of the Suns from 2013 to 2018, issued a video statement to commend the individuals who spoke in the story for their courage, and offer his support for the current players in the Suns organization while expressing a belief in how the NBA will handle the process.
“The franchise should be treated as a public trust,” McDonough said. “I have faith in Adam Silver and the folks in the league office to make sure the franchise is run appropriately going forward. The city deserves that. The fans deserve that. The current players and employees certainly deserve that — and I trust that is what will happen as soon as Adam and the folks at the league office conclude their investigation.”
McDonough did not, however, say whether he would participate in the investigation.
Jahm Najafi, a minority owner for the Suns, said in a statement he would aid the NBA in its investigation as well, making him one of the most prominent names still with the franchise to publicly say they would do so.
“The conduct he is alleged to have committed has stunned and saddened me and is unacceptable,” Najafi said of Sarver. “The well-being and safety of every Suns employee, player, coach and stakeholder is first and foremost our priority. My sincerest sympathy goes out to all whose lives and professions have been impacted … Although today’s revelations fall under the jurisdiction of the League which decides and takes any action based on its finding, I offer my support to ensure there is full accountability.”
The Suns hosted the Houston Rockets on Thursday night and Phoenix coach Monty Williams addressed the report before the game. Williams, who is Black, said he hadn’t talked with Sarver since ESPN’s story was published and that if he had heard the owner say any of the things that were alleged in the story “I wouldn’t be in this seat.”
“My reaction is it’s a lot to process,” Williams said. “There’s so many things there and for me it’s still not clear, as far as the facts are concerned. As someone who is the caretaker of the program, I find all of these things that are being said serious in nature. These allegations are sensitive — that’s an understatement.”
Williams added that he would understand if any of his players didn’t want to play on Thursday because of the situation, but said none of them had expressed that sentiment to this point.
Suns guard Devin Booker, who is the team’s longest-tenured player at seven years, was the only one on the current roster who played for Watson. He said Watson was credible and added “that’s my guy” but said he didn’t know about the Watson-Sarver interaction until he read ESPN’s story.
“I wasn’t aware of the situation,” Booker said. “In my seven years I’ve been here, I haven’t noticed that, but that doesn’t make me insensitive to the subject. I think the NBA opened an investigation, they’ll do their due diligence of bringing out facts instead of he said, she said. I’m sure the NBA has it in good hands and will do the proper research to find out the truth.”
Since Adam Silver assumed his role as NBA commissioner in 2014, there have been two major investigations centred on the behaviour of ownership which ended with the sales of the teams.
In April of 2014, Silver issued a lifetime suspension to former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling after audio tapes of Sterling using racist language about Black people, including his players, were released. The Clippers were eventually sold for $2 billion to Steve Ballmer in August 2014.
The second investigation which led to a change in ownership involved former Atlanta Hawks majority owner Bruce Levenson, centred on an internal email he sent that included racist observations of the Hawks’ game-night fan base. Levenson, under pressure from the investigation, went on to sell the franchise to a group led by Tony Ressler, the American billionaire private equity investor, for $850 million in 2015.
There have been other high-profile, NBA-led investigations that have not resulted in a change of ownership, though.
A bombshell Sports Illustrated article in 2018 depicted extensive claims of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct within the Dallas Mavericks organization. Following the league’s investigation, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban donated $10 million to charities, including those combating domestic violence toward women, but Cuban was not suspended or punished.
