Stephen Curry spoke with commissioner Adam Silver privately after Robert Sarver's punishment
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said that he spoke privately with NBA commissioner Adam Silver regarding Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver in recent weeks.
Curry, speaking at the team’s media day on Sunday, said he spoke with Silver about the punishment he and the league handed down after the investigation into Sarver — which was something many players and outsiders didn’t think went far enough.
"[I] got [Silver's] point of view of what decisions and, I guess, mechanisms he had to intervene and bring down a punishment that was worthy of the actions that we were all responding to and representing the league as a whole and protecting the integrity of the league and the standard that we set terms of from execs, ownership, all the way down to players," Curry said Sunday, via ESPN. "There should be a standard around what's tolerable and what's not."
It’s unclear if Silver spoke with any other players in the league regarding Sarver and the Suns.
Silver announced earlier this month that the NBA was fining Sarver $10 million and suspending him for one year after their investigation into his workplace misconduct. Among other things, the league found that Sarver used the N-word repeatedly, made inappropriate sexual and vulgar jokes and demeaned female employees.
Sarver has since announced that he is going to sell the Suns and Mercury.
Though he’s happy with how things have turned out, Curry is surprised with how quickly things have progressed. Now, he said, they can all move past this.
"I think the outcome was exactly what should have happened," Curry said, via ESPN. "Honestly, I thought with the punishment that was handed down, it would have dragged out a little longer, but I'm glad we got to a point where hopefully the team is up for sale sooner than later and can kind of move on knowing that's where it should be."
Draymond Green: ‘It's a 100% fireable offense’
Warriors veteran Draymond Green was one of the players in the league who called for action in the wake of Sarver’s punishment.
Green, shortly after the initial punishment was announced, called for a formal vote of the NBA Board of Governors to remove Sarver as an owner. While that didn’t happen, it would have taken 75% of that board to officially remove Sarver.
Now, even after the plans to sell the team, Green stands by his call. In his eyes, a vote absolutely should have occurred.
"You know, if this is governed by a vote, then why isn't there a vote," Green said, via ESPN. "It's a 100% fireable offense. It's 100% forceable — to force a sale type of event. So why isn't there a vote if that's what has to happen?"
"I was very happy to see that he was selling the team because I think that's right. When you look at some of the things that people has gotten in trouble over, I think that falls under the same boat. And we're all a part of this league, and no one person is bigger than the league. If that goes for us as players, that goes across the board. We're still all a part of the league, no matter what level you're at."
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry said he spoke privately to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in the aftermath of the league's decision to suspend Phoenix Suns governor Robert Sarver for one year.
Curry told reporters at Sunday's media availability he understood Silver's point of view regarding the initial suspension, but he is happy Sarver ultimately chose to sell the team.
"I think the outcome was exactly what should have happened," Curry said. "Honestly, I thought with the punishment that was handed down, it would have dragged out a little longer, but I'm glad we got to a point where hopefully the team is up for sale sooner than later and can kind of move on knowing that's where it should be."
Sarver announced his intention to sell the Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury last week amid widespread public and private pressure. An independent investigation found Sarver used racial slurs, bullied employees, engaged in inequitable treatment of female employees and ran a hostile work environment over his ownership tenure.
The NBA suspended Sarver for one year and fined him $10 million, punishments that received overwhelmingly negative reactions. LeBron James, Chris Paul and Draymond Green were among the players who found the league reaction to be lacking.
Green called on NBA governors to take a public vote on removing Sarver. Curry's Warriors teammate said he wanted the governors on record with their stance, though the podcast he made the comments on was recorded before Sarver announced he was selling the team.
"I was very happy to see that he was selling the team because I think that's right," Green said. "When you look at some of the things that people has gotten in trouble over, I think that falls under the same boat. And we're all a part of this league, and no one person is bigger than the league. If that goes for us as players, that goes across the board. We're still all a part of the league, no matter what level you're at."
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Silver and several owners privately pressured Sarver into selling the franchise.
Sarver publicly apologized for his actions but bemoaned an "unforgiving" social climate forcing him to sell.