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Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver has been in the news after receiving a one-year suspension from the NBA for alleged workplace misconduct. He has now announced his decision to sell the team.
Sarver released a formal statement explaining the decision to sell the Suns as well as his WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury. The statement comes amid pressure from fans and players, including the NBA's Players Association. He also asked for forgiveness for his actions.
In other news, the league announced former No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards’ punishment for his recent homophobic comments on social media.
Here's the latest news from around the NBA as of Sept. 22, 2022.
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Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver announces he's looking for new buyers for Suns and Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was recently banned from the NBA for a year and fined $10 million. He was handed down the punishment for 18 years of alleged workplace misconduct, including racism and misogyny.
Many notable stars, including LeBron James, Chris Paul and Draymond Green, thought the punishment was not severe enough given Sarver’s repeated offenses. Fans were also vocal in their requests for more severity.
However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended the decision. He said the league did a thorough investigation of Sarver and based the punishment on league precedent.
On Sept. 21, Sarver announced that he had made the personal decision to sell the Phoenix Suns as well as his WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury.
Sarver released an official statement explaining his decision. In the statement, he asked for forgiveness for his actions, adding that modern society will never allow him to truly be forgiven. Sarver then explained that he did not want to become a distraction for his two franchises once his suspension was over:
"As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness. I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love," Sarver said.
"But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible – that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury."
President of the NBPA and Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum also issued a brief statement.
“We thank Mr. Sarver for making a swift decision that was in the best interest of our sports community,” McCollum said.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN's NBA insider, the Phoenix Suns should have no problem finding a new owner. He tweeted:
“The Suns are considered an extremely desirable franchise in the marketplace and will have no shortage of high-level ownership candidates.”
Anthony Edwards fined $40,000 by NBA for using homophobic remarks on social media
Former No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards received widespread criticism last week for an Instagram story he posted.
In the now-deleted video, Edwards was heard saying homophobic slurs to a group of shirtless men standing on the sidewalk. The Minnesota Timberwolves star could be heard saying the following with a voice laughing in the background:
“Look at these queer a** n***ers.”
Edwards has since apologized on Twitter. He tweeted:
“What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!”
However, as expected, Edwards has been handed a punishment by the NBA for his actions. The 21-year-old received a fine of $40,000 for “using offensive and derogatory language on social media.”
Some fans and players believe Edwards’ penalty was not severe enough. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suggested that the youngster should repair the damage he's caused by doing volunteer work with the LGBTQ+ community.
Whether or not Edwards carries out additional actions to prove that his apology was genuine remains to be seen.
Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder is interested in getting traded to his former team
Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder is reportedly on the trade block as he enters the final year of his three-year, $29 million contract. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Crowder is open to a return to the Miami Heat. Jackson said:
"We hear Jae Crowder would welcome a return to the Heat and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — while not mentioning the Heat or any team — said the Suns 'are in trade negotiations right now.'
"'A lot of them are centered around Jae Crowder. Jae Crowder is a player who is available on the market right now.'"
Crowder was traded to the Miami Heat in a 2020 trade deadline deal and played 20 regular-season games with the team. He went on to play a big role in his lone playoff run with Miami.
Crowder started in 21 playoff games for the Heat and helped them reach the 2020 NBA Finals, where they lost 4-2 to LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Given the Heat’s lack of forward depth, a reunion between Crowder and Miami makes sense for both sides at least on paper.
OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffers left MCL sprain, expected to miss start of training camp
All 30 NBA teams are gearing up for training camp with the regular season set to begin soon. However, some have had to deal with injuries and the OKC Thunder are among the teams on that list.
The Thunder are set to kick off training camp without their star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander has suffered a Grade 2 left MCL sprain, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, while shooting 45.3% from the field. At just 24 years of age, he is considered by many to be the Thunder’s franchise cornerstone.
It is worth noting that Oklahoma has already lost recent second overall pick Chet Holmgren to a season-ending foot injury. Thankfully for the team, Gilgeous-Alexander’s knee injury doesn't seem to be too serious.
NBA analyst ridicules Kyrie Irving for accepting loss against Boston Celtics in 2022 playoffs
During a recent episode of “NBA Today,” a clip was played of Brooklyn Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving on a Twitch stream. On that stream, Irving talked about how it felt to get swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
"We got 4-0'd, my G. It was meant to happen like that. Motivation, we needed that humbling experience," Irving said.
This prompted ESPN analyst Nick Friedell to call out Irving for his laid-back attitude towards the embarrassing defeat. Friedell said:
"You lose 4-0 to the Celtics and that’s gonna motivate the group? What that group was missing was camaraderie. They gotta be together to get it."
Camraderie and health certainly impacted the Brooklyn Nets' 2021-22 season. Their star duo of Irving and Kevin Durant totaled just 84 games last season. Ben Simmons, who arrived from the Philadelphia 76ers with James Harden going the other way, is yet to make his debut for Brooklyn.
If the Nets, who now boast a better roster on paper, want to make a deep playoff run in 2023, they’re going to need their "Big Three" to gel well together.
