Real Mallorca owner Robert Sarver has disclosed plans to sell the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury basketball franchises following the release of a damning report of his workplace conduct that corroborated claims of harassment and inappropriate behavior and it appears he already has some potential buyers - he said he wants to concentrate more on Real Mallorca.
Sarver owns 35% of a $1.8 billion entity, which includes the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. Among the potential buyers are already Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Robert Iger, former CEO of Disney, according to ‘ESPN’, the network that prompted the investigation into Sarver with a report published in November last year.
A flight of sponsors, led by threats from PayPal, and the rejection of the American sports world, led by stars such as LeBron James and Chris Paul, led Sarver to the decision to distance himself from the franchise he had run since 2004. Buying out his shares will cost more than $600 million.
His departure was celebrated by LeBron James, happy to help the NBA build a healthier work environment, and also by the league’s commissioner, Adam Silver, who called the move necessary “for the franchise and the community”.