LeBron James criticizes NBA for not being tough on Suns owners

lebron james criticized this Wednesday NBA to be less powerful in its sanctions Robert Thurberthe owner of phoenix suns And on Tuesday, he was sentenced to a one-year suspension and a $10 million fine for humiliating comments about his workers that were of a racist and sexist nature.

“I’ve already read several articles about servers. To be honest, our league was definitely wrong.”said the star on Twitter los angeles lakers.

“You don’t have to explain why. Read them and judge for yourself. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there is no place for this kind of behavior in this league. I love this league and have the utmost respect for its leaders. But this is not correct. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, or racism in any work environment. ”he added.

LeBron affirmed it “doesn’t matter” whether the person committing the act is a team owner or a player, saying it’s not a good example of a competition like the NBA trying to uphold a set of values.

The NBA on Tuesday announced sanctions against Thurber, owner of WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the largest shareholder of Spanish football’s Mallorca.

The maximum fine set by the NBA’s internal rules is $10 million, but on social networks there are server sanctions and a 2014 fine imposed against then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. There were notable controversies when comparing measures.

In the face of a hurricane for racist comments leaked to the media, Sterling was banned from the NBA for life, fined $2.5 million, and forced to sell the franchise.

Sterling’s racist remarks came during a phone conversation with Hispanic model Vivian Stibiano, a businessman who includes legendary former player “Magic” Johnson. He criticized Sterling for taking pictures with black people.

“Why are you taking pictures with minorities?” Sterling asked Stibiano, who is Mexican and black, during the conversation.

Sterling protested taking some pictures of the model on Instagram, saying, “I asked him to foster an image of white people and Latinos, but I asked him not to create an image of African Americans.

“You can sleep with black people, you can be with them, you can do whatever you want… All I ask of you is not to promote it. Don’t bring it into my game,” he said. He said.

The leak of these racist comments caused a major scandal in the NBA, with Sterling banned from the league and Steve Ballmer becoming the new owner of the Clippers.

Detailed investigation

In the case of Server, the sanctions announced Tuesday are the product of an NBA investigation stemming from ESPN’s report published in November 2021, in which more than 70 Server employees and former employees were found guilty of She said she accused him of racism and masculinity in the work environment. .

The NBA study, which examined more than 80,000 documents and interviewed 320 people among employees and former employees, found that the server had at least five times been very seriously racist against the African-American population. It was concluded that the insult was used.

The league also found that Thurber made numerous sexist and derogatory comments about women, and that his “humiliating” behavior included “yelling” and “calling names” at employees. “His actions clearly violated common working environment standards,” he said.

“The allegations and actions described in the results of this independent investigation are disturbing and disappointing,” Adam Silver said in a statement announcing the sanctions.

“I hope the NBA community will take this opportunity to reflect on what this great game means to people, and the values ​​of equality, respect and inclusion it strives to express.NBA On behalf of all, I apologize to everyone affected by this wrongdoing,” he added.

This sanction bans Server from participating in any Sands or Mercury conduct for a period of one year and from playing any kind of role in the operations and day-to-day operations of both franchises. EFE

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