How long has Robert Sarver been the owner of Phoenix Suns?
The Phoenix Suns have been one of the most entertaining teams in the league in the past few years. Their team owner, Robert Sarver, will not lead the team for at least one more year. Sarver was suspended by the NBA for one year and fined $10 million due to workplace misconduct. The Suns' owner was not happy with the decision made by the league.
NBA has suspended Suns owner Robert Sarver for one year from the Suns and Mercury organization based on league investigation. Sarver has also been fined $10 million and complete training program focused on respect and appropriate workplace conduct.
After almost a year of investigating Robert Sarver, the NBA found proof that he engaged in inappropriate behavior towards his employees. Due to this, Sarver will be excluded from any activity regarding the team for one year.
This article will review the history between Sarver and the Phoenix Suns, including his acquisition almost two decades ago.
Robert Sarver acquired Phoenix Suns in 2004
Robert Sarver is a lifelong sports fan and a multi-millionaire. He long wanted to own a professional sports team. He achieved that goal in 2004 by buying the Phoenix Suns.
The story of his purchase of the Suns started with Lute Olson, a basketball coach at the University of Arizona. Olson referred Sarver to Steve Kerr, a former Arizona player.
Kerr is now the coach of the Golden State Warriors, but he also played for the Phoenix Suns for a year. The Suns drafted him with the 50th overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.
The NBA's investigation into Suns owner Robert Sarver found he used the N-word "repeating or purporting to repeat what a Black person said" during a 2004 free-agency recruitment, a 2012-13 team-building exercise & after a 2016 game against the Warriors.
Details from the report: https://t.co/qnkRW2fmgK
In 2004, the multi-millionaire purchased the Phoenix Suns for $401 million. At the time, this was an NBA record. Today, the value of the Suns is estimated at $1.8 billion.
During Sarver's tenure with the team, he has made significant improvements. In 2020, he teamed up with Verizon to build the Verizon 5G Performance Center, a modern facility with state-of-the-art player tracking technology.
This technology drastically helps players, and the center is used by both the Suns and the Phoenix Mercury, Robert Sarver's WNBA team.
Sarver has also made many inappropriate actions during his tenure with the Suns, which is why he's been suspended. According to an investigation conducted by the NBA, he has made many racist and sexist remarks.
Suns under Robert Sarver
Shortly after Sarver acquired the Phoenix Suns, they became one of the most entertaining teams in the league. In 2004, the team hired Mike D'Antoni, a coach known for his incredible offensive sets.
During the early years of Sarver's tenure, the Suns had a fantastic trio of Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. They ran the "7 seconds or less" offense. The fast-paced offense attracted fans and the media. Nash won two MVPs during this era.
The trio, however, didn't achieve much success in the postseason. In 2010, the Suns advanced to their only Western Conference Finals appearance with that group.
The Suns finally made the NBA Finals in 2021, but they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Suns took the series' first two games but lost the next four.