Written by Jonathan Peter on September 20, 2022.
Last week, the NBA suspended Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver because of workplace misconduct which has occurred since 2004, when Sarver bought the team. Sarver was fined $1 million and suspended for one year from attending games for the both the Suns and Mercury, which is the WNBA team Sarver is also owner of.
The suspension does not seem severe enough for Sarver’s behavior and players and fans made their opinions known.
The players are feel horrible about the situation and rightfully so. This is a foolish look for the NBA, especially because of what Green stated on his podcast about the so-called progressive attitude of the league.
At this point, the players have no say in the discipline of an owner. The NBA investigation was conducted by an outside group and the punishment was decided on by Commissioner Adam Silver. This is where we can hope for change.
For long now, star NBA players have had a lot of power as far deciding where they want to play. They have leverage in free agency, but besides that, there isn’t much they can do.
The National Basketball Players Association should have a say in the punishment for owners when there are investigations, such as this past one. It is unfair that this kind of behavior receives little repercussions from the league itself.
The NBPA needs to find a way to garner more power during the next collective bargaining agreement in order to have a say on issues like this. Player empowerment can mean more than star players deciding what team they want to play for. It can mean being able to have a say on significant issues which occur in the league which they work for.
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