Suns’ Robert Sarver to be interviewed by lawyers leading investigation into organization’s culture, per report

The NBA’s ongoing investigation into Robert Sarver’s tenure as Phoenix Suns owner is set to reach a crucial stage in the near future. No specific date has been set, but lawyers from the NBA are ready to interview Sarver for the first time, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. 

Last November, Holmes published a wide-ranging report in which numerous current and former employees detailed a toxic workplace filled with racism and misogyny. Most notably, there were multiple incidents in which Sarver allegedly used the N-word, including in the coach’s locker room following a game in 2016. In addition, Sarver’s wife reportedly sent messages to former employees, who felt they were intimidating. 

Shortly after the report, the NBA announced that it would be opening an investigation. 

“The allegations contained in today’s ESPN article are extremely serious, and we have directed the Wachtell Lipton law firm to commence a comprehensive investigation,” league spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement. “The NBA and WNBA remain committed to providing a respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees. Once the investigation is completed, its findings will provide the basis for any league action.”

In the months since the NBA’s work began, its team has interviewed “more than 300” people in and around the organization, per Holmes’ latest report on Friday. Furthermore, the Suns have handed over email and HR records. 

New York-based Wachtell Lipton, which previously led ownership-centered investigations into the LA Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, has interviewed current and former employees who have worked at all levels of the organization since a Sarver-led group bought the Suns in 2004. Some have been interviewed multiple times, sources said.

The lawyers have asked about specific allegations in the ESPN report, which was based on interviews with more than 70 current and former employees. Employees have confirmed a range of published allegations while introducing others, sources said, and have provided the investigators with documents, specifically emails.

Sarver and the Suns have not commented publicly since denying the allegations before they were even published. When rumors of the impending ESPN report started spreading on social media, Sarver released a statement in which he wrote, in part, “While I can’t begin to know how to respond to some of the vague suggestions made by mostly anonymous voices, I can certainly tell you that some of the claims I find completely repugnant to my nature and to the character of the Suns/Mercury workplace and I can tell you they never, ever happened.”

At this point, there is no timeline for the conclusion of the NBA’s investigation, nor any indication of what sort of punishment Sarver and the Suns might face.