The NBA announced a couple of weeks ago that Robert Sarver would be suspended for a year and fined $10 million after the completion of an independent investigation into the Suns and Mercury owner's conduct.
The investigation spawned from an in-depth report by ESPN's Baxter Holmes, detailing Sarver's behavior in the workplace throughout his 18-year tenure. The NBA found that Sarver "engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards, as reflected in team and league rules and policies."
More specifically, the league highlighted these findings in the case:
- Mr. Sarver, on at least five occasions during his tenure with the Suns/Mercury organization, repeated the N-word when recounting the statements of others.
- Mr. Sarver engaged in instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees, made many sex-related comments in the workplace, made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female employees and other women, and on several occasions engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.
- Mr. Sarver engaged in demeaning and harsh treatment of employees, including yelling and cursing at them.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver's decision to suspend Sarver for one year received plenty of backlash around the NBA world, many believing it was too light of a punishment for his actions. Sarver has since announced that he's begun the process of selling the team.
Media Day was the first opportunity for players on the Suns to address the Sarver situation publicly, with Chris Paul and Devin Booker speaking up.
MORE: How much are the Suns worth? Sarver set to start process on selling the team
What did Chris Paul say about Robert Sarver at Suns Media Day?
"Thoughts and prayers to all those involved," Paul stated as he began to speak on the situation.
"I can't speak for all of our players but it was tough to read. It was disturbing."
Paul added that he was in communication with commissioner Silver after reading the press release. He also reached out to the likes of Kyle Lowry and CJ McCollum to hear their thoughts on the matter.
Paul was asked to compare this moment to the Donald Sterling situation with the Clippers. He stated that the two cases were different based on the timing of the newsbreak, with this one occurring in the offseason and the other being during the middle of the playoffs with Los Angeles.
"Tonight will be the first time our team actually gets the chance to all be together before we start (the season) tomorrow," he concluded.
You can find Paul's entire statement below.
Chris Paul’s initial thoughts on the Robert Sarver situation: pic.twitter.com/LbHnTCd9Z2
— Lindsey Smith (@LindseySmithAZ) September 26, 2022
What did Devin Booker say about Robert Sarver at Suns Media Day?
"It was tough. It was tough for me because that wasn't the Robert Sarver that I knew," Booker began.
"That's not the Robert Sarver that welcomed me to Phoenix with open arms, but at the same time, I'm not insensitive to everybody that's involved in the situation, and I understand that everyone's individual experience with people is always going to be different.
"It was tough to read because that wasn't the person I know."
Booker was asked if the situation will be a distraction to the team, but the star guard is confident the Suns will move on from it and focus on winning a championship.
"I think it was on its way to being a distraction, but now that he's chosen to sell the team I think we can move forward and focus on the goal that's at hand and playing basketball," he concluded.
You can find Booker's full statement below.
Devin Booker on Robert Sarver situation: pic.twitter.com/0z9q1A7FIg
— Lindsey Smith (@LindseySmithAZ) September 26, 2022
