On Tuesday, the NBA announced that Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver has been fined $10 million and suspended for one year. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James doesn’t believe that punishment is harsh enough.
After conducting an investigation into Sarver’s alleged behavior, the NBA discovered that he used the N-word at least five times.
Additionally, the NBA said there were “instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees.” Sarver apparently made “sex-related comments” and inappropriate remarks about employees’ appearances.
James believes there’s no place in the NBA for Sarver’s behavior, and rightfully so.
“Read through the Sarver stories a few times now. I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong,” James tweeted. “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.
James continued: “I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. 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 ain’t it.”
NBA fans are glad that James is speaking up about this situation.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver commented on the league’s findings and discipline in regards to Sarver’s case. He said it’s not similar to former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s situation.
“I think what we saw in the case of Donald Sterling was blatant racist conduct directed at a select group of people,” Silver said. “It’s difficult to know what is in someone’s heart or in their mind. We heard those words and then there was a follow-up from the league office and that became public as well what Mr. Sterling’s testimony said about his actions.”
Time will tell if other NBA players apply some pressure on Silver and the rest of the league.