A week after Robert Sarver’s ban, he announced that he is selling the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.
This decision came after PayPal threatened to drop their partnership if Sarver was still the owner after the ban.
According to a Yahoo article, potential buyers include “ex-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, former Disney CEO Bob Iger, ex-Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and Washington Wizards minority owner Laurene Jobs.”
It is expected that the Suns will look for the highest bidder. Forbes estimated in 2021 that the Suns were worth $1.8 billion. Having people like Jeff Bezos, whose net worth is over $146 billion, in the running means that the price could get much higher.
No matter the final sale price, it will be guaranteed to be bigger than the $400 million that Sarver paid for the team originally in 2004.
This has significance in the sports world as it shows how seriously organizations are dealing with these sorts of issues. Sarver went from comfortably owning an NBA team to beginning the selling process in a matter of weeks.
I think this also reveals the sort of person Sarver is. No one is going to drag him into polite society. What did you think of the lead? Good quotes?