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12-03-2024 11:50 pm • PDX and SEA Weather
MLK Breakfast
The American Sports Accountability Project (ASAP), a diverse group of leading civil rights and social justice advocates, is calling on National Basketball Association (NBA) leadership to remove Phoenix Suns majority-owner Robert Sarver. Calls for removal from the league follow dozens of documented instances of racism, misogyny and abuse by Sarver, all of which are in direct conflict with the NBA’s social justice commitments.
In a March 11 letter addressed to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and copied to the league’s Board of Governors, the group wrote:
“As individual advocates and representatives for organizations seeking to advance racial and social justice throughout the United States, we are profoundly disturbed by the reports of racism, misogyny, and abusive behavior allegedly committed by Phoenix Suns majority owner, Robert Sarver. There is zero tolerance for such behavior in today’s society and we expect the NBA and its leadership to hold Mr. Sarver accountable for these despicable actions, as was done in the case of Donald Sterling.”
Mr. Sarver has a notorious and extensive record of abusive, racist and misogynistic behavior spanning nearly two decades. His victims include players, coaches, front office staff, team executives, players’ family members, and many others. The accounts that have recently come to light are grotesque, with numerous instances of Mr. Sarver, a white man, freely using the N-word to refer to his players and coaches. He is also alleged to use sexually explicit, misogynistic language in the workplace, including about the female body. In another example, Mr. Sarver is said to have made routine references to ownership over his employees, asking “do I own you?” to those with whom he is unfamiliar, evoking an abhorrent time in our history. There are dozens of other examples.
From what we understand, Mr. Sarver’s history has been well known amongst the NBA’s Board of Governors for many years, and yet it was not until these reports were made public that the league initiated an investigation into the matter.
We note that Mr. Sarver has denied the allegations and several of his supporters have claimed that there is no “proof” of such incidents. We take issue with the notion that victims must film or record the abuses being committed against them in order for those abuses to be considered true. Indeed, shifting the burden to victims in this way is a key deterrent to progress in our struggle for racial and social justice in the United States and throughout the world. It is a tactic that deserves no home within the NBA.
Let us be clear: we believe Mr. Sarver’s victims. This is not a matter of a single allegation or one person’s word against another. This is a pattern rife with examples of men, women, people of color, and staff suffering abuses at the hands of Robert Sarver. We expect that the investigation into Mr. Sarver’s conduct will validate the accounts of the numerous and brave victims, many of whom risked their livelihoods to share their stories. We appreciate the thoroughness of the League’s investigation, which is reported to include interviews with hundreds of individuals, and believe the findings will further corroborate the countless incidents and experiences spanning nearly two decades.
Moreover, there is in fact audio of Mr. Sarver making inappropriate and sexist comments. In a speech honoring his late co-owner Dick Heckmann, there is a recording of Mr. Sarver saying such things as “Dick was chasing everything that moved in Scottsdale” and “the Heckmann boys were f—king their way through the cheerleading team.” Later in the speech, Mr. Sarver made a joke directed toward a member of the audience in which he said, “I guess his receptionist has small tits.” He went on to say “we’re lucky we still own the franchise. In today’s environment, we’d have lost it a long time ago.”
Such comments may have been made in jest; however, they lend excruciating credence to allegations that Mr. Sarver fosters a toxic and uncomfortable workplace, particularly for women and people of color.
Under your leadership, the NBA has made clear its intolerance for hatred, bigotry, and any other form of discrimination. This has been reinforced by the League’s creation of a Social Justice Coalition in 2021, as well as its response to previous reports of misconduct, including those involving the Clippers, the Mavericks, and most recently, the Trailblazers. In all of the aforementioned cases, those responsible were removed from their respective positions. We see no reason the response to Mr. Sarver should not follow suit.
Legacy civil rights groups and social justice activists have decried the culture in the NBA and previously held conversations with NBA leadership to bring these issues to the forefront. Since then, the NBA has led the American sports community in its commitment to justice and accountability. As Commissioner of the league, your response to the investigation and subsequent action by the Board of Governors must align with the NBA’s stated commitment to social justice and past decisions to impose consequences on those who have a history of abusive behavior.
We will continue to follow this matter closely.”
The letter is signed by:
For more information, visit: www.AmericanSportsAccountabilityProject.com.
