Report: Lawyers prepare to interview Suns’ Sarver in investigation
Mar 4, 2022, 10:12 AM | Updated: 10:24 am
Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns, looks on during the second half of the NBA game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Talking Stick Resort Arena on March 04, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Bucks 114-105. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Lawyers investigating the Phoenix Suns on behalf of the NBA are preparing to interview team majority owner Robert Sarver, who has been at the focal point of allegations of racism and misogyny within the organization, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported Friday.
Holmes’ update says that more than 300 people have been interviewed as the lawyers are in the fact-finding stage of the investigation. It is led by Wachtell Lipton, a law firm that investigated the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks where executives or owners were at the center of allegations.
The Suns, reports Holmes, have granted the investigators access to work emails and human resource records to aide them in the investigation into allegations from throughout Sarver’s tenure as team owner, which began in 2004.
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Holmes writes that it is “unclear” how long the lawyers will take before coming to a conclusion.
The league opened the investigation in November 2021.
Specifics, which include allegations of racist language and misogynistic comments by Sarver, were revealed back in an ESPN article written and published by Holmes in November. More than 70 people were interviewed for the story, including former head coach Earl Watson.
Sarver and his legal team are heavily cited in the story, refuting or correcting allegations from their perspective.
In a statement released after the story’s publication, Sarver said he “welcomed” the league to investigate, “which may prove our only outlet for clearing my name and the reputation of an organization of which I’m so very proud.”
