NBA Suspends Suns Owner Robert Sarver For One Season

The NBA has suspended Suns owner Robert Sarver for one year and fined him $10 million after an investigation in which the league alleged Sarver took part in workplace misconduct.

There is no word yet on if Sarver intends to fight the decision, though many sources who contacted Hoops Wire suspect he might.

Sarver must also complete a training program focused on respect and appropriate workplace conduct, the league office said.

The punishment stems from an independent investigation of Sarver, with 320 people and evaluation of over 80,000 documents, per the NBA. The investigation was the result of an ESPN report that drew widspread criticism for singling out Sarver while not conducting similar deep-dives into other owners, executives, coaches or players.

During the investigation, Suns coach Monty Williams came out in support of Sarver.

“To say that ownership didn’t play a big deal in my decision to come here, that would be false,” Williams said. “It was. I couldn’t do what I do if I didn’t have the partnership and the relationship that I had with Robert the past two years.”

The Suns have been a regular contender the past few seasons, advancing to the Finals in 2021 and finishing with the league’s best record last year.

The NBA today issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/jjlBK771PT

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) September 13, 2022