Ex-Suns owner Robert Sarver reportedly gives $5M to team charity, $20K to employees
Former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is reportedly donating $5 million to the team's charity along with $20,000 individual bonuses to many team employees, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.
Those who qualified for the $20,000 bonus, which they'd receive in their next paycheck, were full-time employees who started on or before Feb. 15, 2022. Between 250 and 300 employees will be impacted by the bonus, the report said.
The NBA issued Sarver a $10 million fine and a yearlong suspension after more than 70 of his current and former employees revealed allegations of racism, misogyny and other workplace misconduct to Holmes in a report that was published in November 2021.
The disciplinary action came after ESPN's exposé triggered an independent investigation into Sarver's misconduct, which detailed copious instances of harassment throughout his tenure. This included confirmation he used the N-word in a free-agent recruitment pitch during his first season as team owner in 2004 and corroboration of his use of sexually explicit language in a 2021 meeting.
Ahead of the team's season opener in October, NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly apologized to Suns employees multiple times in a nearly hourlong address following the investigation.
Last month, it was reported that Sarver was finalizing a deal to sell the Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury to billionaire mortgage lending company CEO Mat Ishbia after almost 20 years as the Suns' majority owner.
A week after the sale of the franchise was complete, Suns president and CEO Jason Rowley resigned. According to ESPN, Ishbia bought a 57% controlling stake of the Suns for $2.28 billion. Sarver reportedly sold his personal 37% stake to Ishbia for $1.48 billion. After taxes, Sarver is expected to surpass almost double the amount he and an investment group paid for the team in 2004.
New beginnings in Phoenix
Ishbia was introduced as the team's new owner on Feb. 8 and said Sarver chose him during the conference. Suns head coach Monty Williams told reporters he spoke with Ishbia at a home game in January. Williams called it "great for the team, the organization and the community to have someone like Mat in place." At 43 years old, Ishbia will be the youngest team owner in the NBA, narrowly beating 44-year-old Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera.
The Suns held another introductory conference on Thursday. This time, it was for Kevin Durant — an affair that led fans to line up to hours early in hopes to see the star's first appearance as a Sun. Traded after four years with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant said the Suns have "all the pieces to be successful." His arrival is an exciting one for Phoenix, who hope to make a run for it all with his help.
His arrival came at the expense of Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round draft picks and a pick swap. It also immediately moved the team from +1800 to win a title this year to +450.
