LeBron James Is Not Happy About Robert Sarver’s Suspension

Robert Sarver, the owner of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, was under investigation for racism and misogyny for several months. Sarver was recently banned from taking part in activities involving both teams for a year and was fined $10 million. LeBron James and Chris Paul have now spoken out against the punishment.

LeBron James blasted the NBA, claiming that the league bungled Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver’s suspension, calling it wrong. “Read through the Sarver stories a few times now,” Lebron tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong. I don’t need to explain why. Y’all read the stories and decide for yourself. I said it before and I’m gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of behavior.

In a pair of tweets Wednesday night, Chris Paul also expressed his belief that the NBA botched Sarver’s punishment.

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.

As previously reported, following an NBA investigation, league officials determined that Sarver did, in fact, use the N-word on multiple occasions in the workplace. They also said he made inappropriate comments about female employees and did not treat them equally. Investigators added that Sarver was inappropriate physically toward male employees as well.  

They did state in their findings that Sarver’s usage of the n-word was not motivated by racial hatred or prejudice. As punishment, the NBA announced on Tuesday that Sarver will be suspended for one season and fined $10 million, which LeBron plainly believes is much too harsh. “I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership,” LeBron said.

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.

Commissioner Adam Silver, for his part, apologized to everyone affected by the owner’s actions and vowed to do better in the future. Let’s see what happens. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.

Do you believe LeBron’s anger is justified? Let us know in the comments!