On the most recent episode of his podcast, Draymond Green called for the league’s Board of Governors to hold a vote to remove Robert Sarver from his position with the Suns.
“This guy gets to just come back in the fold, as if he’s still representing us? As if he’s a part of us? That can’t be so. Because, for us, especially as African-Americans, I’m uncomfortable. I’m very uncomfortable and knowing that, in that position, you can just essentially do whatever you want and because you own an asset, you can’t be punished.
“I saw where Commissioner [Adam] Silver said, ‘I’ve taken the steps that I can take. The maximum penalty that I can hand out, I handed out. In order for [Robert Sarver] to be kicked out as an owner of a franchise and forced to sell, that vote would fall on two-thirds of the other owners of these assets.’ So what I would say is, why don’t we pose a vote?”
The NBA requires 75% approval from the Board of Governors for another owners removed. That means that 22 of the 29 other governors/owners would have to vote in favor of Sarver’s removal.
After reports of Sarver making racist, sexist, and other demeaning comments in the workplace surfaced, the league finally punished him last week after a lengthy investigation. He was suspended for one year, fined $10 million, and will be required to take sensitivity training classes.
But many around the league have felt that the punishment was light, given the years and years of inappropriate, hateful behavior. The idea of having Sarver back around the Suns for the 2023-24 season feels wrong.
“The NBA stands for inclusion,” Green said. “The NBA stands for diversity. The NBA definitely stands against bigotry and racism… This report that came out last week is the total opposite of everything that the NBA stands for.”
Perhaps the uproar from many of the vocal leaders around the league will be enough to push for more action being taken against Sarver.
