LeBron James detailed his disappointment with the NBA’s punishment of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, writing “our league definitely got this wrong” in a series of social media posts Wednesday.
behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn’t right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don’t matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 14, 2022
Sarver was banned from the NBA for one year and fined $10 million after the NBA on Tuesday released its findings from a 10-month independent investigation into allegations of workplace abuse during Sarver’s tenure as managing partner of the Suns that has spanned nearly two decades.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday said the one-year suspension he gave to Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver for making racist and misogynist remarks could have been longer, but that he didn’t “have the right to take away his team.”
While Silver said Sarver was “on notice” in terms of future behavior, the key conclusion from the five-member committee that spent nine months working on the investigation was that Sarver’s use of slurs was not motivated “by racial or gender-based animus.”