Suns guard Chris Paul commented on Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver’s one-year suspension Tuesday following a league investigation into workplace misconduct. Sarver will also face a $10 million fine.
Paul has been with the Suns since 2020.
“Like many others, I reviewed the report,” Paul tweeted Tuesday. “I was and am horrified and disappointed by what I read. This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated. I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected.”
Paul’s response comes shortly after Lakers star LeBron James tweeted his thoughts disagreeing with Sarver’s punishments.
The NBA investigation found Sarver said the n-word at least five times during his 18-year ownership tenure in Phoenix. The investigation also notes Sarver consistently acted inappropriately toward employees, including saying numerous “sex-related comments toward female employees.” Sarver also made “inappropriate comments about the physical appearance” of both women who worked for the team and elsewhere, and he also reportedly engaged in “inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.”
The NBA opened its investigation shortly after an ESPN report from Nov. 2021 included more than 70 current and former Suns employees who detailed a toxic workplace environment under Sarver that included both racism and misogyny. This included detailed instances of when Sarver said the n-word, including when he said he hired Lindsey Hunter as head coach in ’13 over Dan Majerle because “these [n-words] need a [n-word].”
Despite the findings, the league determined that none of Sarver’s behavior was “motivated by racial or gender-based animus.”
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