“If I'm suspended from Shaq's shoe Industries, you best believe I'm still running it” – Shaquille O'Neal asserts suspending Sarver was not enough, believes he still could run the organization covertly
Shaquille O'Neal has commented on the NBA's decision regarding Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver's case. He praised league commissioner Adam Silver for how he has run the league over the years. However, the Hall of Famer believes the sentence was too light. On "The Big Podcast," Shaquille O'Neal said the fine and suspension are little compared to the degree of the offense.
(From 19:50)
"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."
Sarver was accused of making inappropriate sex-related comments about women and displaying demeaning treatment of employees. After the league's investigation, they found him guilty and issued a one-year suspension and a $10 million fine.
The Suns' owner is not the only league personnel to be slapped with a one-year suspension. Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka will also sit out this season because he was found guilty of having relations with a female staff member. The significant difference is that the league suspended Sarver while the Celtics suspended Udoka.
Sarver has decided to sell the team after running it for 18 years. It has been reported that Amazon owner Jeff Bezos is interested in acquiring the team.
Robert Sarver has announced that he has begun the process to sell both the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury franchises. https://t.co/HqvNe0RNuH
Shaquille O'Neal advises NBA personnel to avoid controversies
It has been a dramatic past week in the NBA. However, Shaquille O'Neal has a piece of advice for everyone in the league.
The four-time NBA champ said these controversies could lead to one losing their family, and it is not worth it. On the same podcast, he said:
"It is not worth it," O'Neal said. "Let me tell you why. The happiest days of my life were coming home and hearing six different people say, 'Daddy, daddy.' Happiest days of my life.
"When I lost those, I'm not going to use the D word, because I know a lot of people are suffering with that, but I was all the way down. And sometimes, I'm still all the way down, especially when I was in my house in Orlando, which is seventy thousand square feet, in there by myself, nobody."
The Suns will have to go about their season without letting this distract them if they hope to contend for the championship. They came close to winning in 2021 but lost a 2-0 series lead to the Milwaukee Bucks.