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Kendra AndrewsESPN
San Francisco – Golden State Warriors star Stephen CurrySpeaking publicly on the Robert Sarver case for the first time on Sunday, he said he had a private discussion with commissioner Adam Silver about the Phoenix Suns and the league’s fines. Mercury Owner.
“(I) got (Silver’s) perspective on what kind of decisions and tactics needed to be interfered with and all of us responding and representing and protecting the league as a whole to come up with an appropriate punishment. The integrity of the league and the standards that we set from the executives, to the ownership, to the players,” he said. “There has to be a measure around tolerance and the impossible,” Curry said of the situation at Warriors media day.
The NBA announced on September 13 that Sarver will be suspended for one year and fined $10 million, after an independent investigation found that he used the N-word at least five times “in comments made by others” and also engaged in “incidental incidents”. Unfair treatment of female employees, including “sexist comments” and inappropriate comments about employees’ appearance. The NBA released its investigation following an ESPN story in November 2021 detailing allegations of racism and sexism during Sarver’s 17 years as an owner.
An NBA ad is plastered on the back, as is LeBron James, Chris Paul, Draymond Green And others spoke up and said the punishment wasn’t enough. Suns jersey patch sponsor PayPal has threatened to not renew its partnership with the team if it continues to own Sarver. And Suns minority owner Jahm Najafi, the team’s second-largest shareholder, called on Sarver to resign.
A week after the ban, Sarver announced that it had begun the process of selling both Sun and Mercury.
“I think the result was exactly what it should have been,” Curry said. “Honestly, I thought it would have taken a little longer with the punishment given, but I’m very happy that we got to the point where the team can sell quickly and he can move on knowingly. That’s where it should be.”
as if An interview with Rolling Stone magazine Earlier this month, Curry expressed regret for not taking a public stance and missing the 2014 playoff game against the Clippers after an audio recording of him making racist comments about then-Clips owner Donald Sterling was released. From the league.
Curry thanked James, Paul and Green for using public forums to speak out against their Warriors teammates on Sarver, and he also appreciated Silver for answering the call.
“The major players who are interested in protecting the league, all the important things, and you want to have quick reactions and responses to things like that,” Curry said.
After Sarver’s suspension was lifted, but before announcing his intention to sell, Green recorded a 25-minute podcast segment asking NBA owners to vote to terminate Sarver’s ownership of the Suns.
“You know, if this is going to be run by voice, why not have a voice,” Green said Sunday at Warriors media day, explaining his thought process during the podcast. “It’s a 100 percent fireable offense. It’s a 100 percent mandatory-forcing type of sale. So if it’s supposed to happen, why isn’t it being voted on?”
“I’m very happy to see that he’s selling the team because I think it’s the right thing to do,” Green continued. “When you look at some of the things that people have gone through, I think that falls under the same boat. And we’re all part of this league, and no one is above the league. If this goes, it goes across the board for us as players. No matter what level you’re at, we’re all still part of the league. .
