NBA preparing for bombshell report on Suns owner Robert Sarver?

The NBA is preparing for a “massive story” about Suns owner Robert Sarver facing allegations of racism, sexism and sexual harassment, sources tell veteran reporter Jordan Schultz. According to Schultz, a “series of incidents” are expected to be described in the forthcoming story.

If there’s enough evidence to support those claims, there’s a real chance the NBA would wrest control of the Suns from Sarver, according to Schultz. The league took that approach when recordings surfaced in 2014 of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments, forcing Sterling to sell the team and banning him from the league for life.

It’s premature to speculate about whether the NBA will take the same path with Sarver, since we have no idea yet what the allegations will look like or how much evidence there will be to back them up. Until the full report Schultz alludes to is published, we’ll be in wait-and-see mode.

Sarver became the majority owner of the Suns in 2004, when he purchased the franchise for a then-record $401M. When Forbes released its annual NBA franchise valuations in February of this year, the outlet estimated that the Suns are worth $1.7 billion.

The Suns made it to the Western Conference finals three times in Sarver’s first six years as the team’s owner, but experienced a lengthy playoff drought following that third Western finals appearance in 2010. Phoenix finally ended its 10-year drought earlier this year when the club came within two wins of a title.