PayPal says if Sarver stays it won’t remain Suns sponsor
FILE – In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver watches the team play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
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(NewsNation) — PayPal said Friday the company will no longer sponsor the Phoenix Suns if owner Robert Sarver remains part of the franchise after his suspension ends.
PayPal said its current partnership deal with the Suns ends after the coming 2022-23 season, meaning it will expire during Sarver’s one-year suspension from the NBA. Sarver was suspended this week and fined $10 million after an investigation showed a pattern of lewd, misogynistic and racist language and conduct during his 18 years as owner of the Suns.
In a statement, PayPal President and CEO Dan Schulman pointed to his company’s “strong record of combatting racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination” and said Sarver’s conduct is “unacceptable and in conflict with our values.”
“In light of the findings of the NBA’s investigation, we will not renew our sponsorship should Robert Sarver remain involved with the Suns organization, after serving his suspension,” Schulman said.
Schulman said PayPal will remain supportive of the team, its players “and the experienced and diverse talent now leading the organization,” including coach Monty Williams, general manager James Jones, assistant general manager Morgan Cato and senior vice president of people and culture Kim Corbitt.
Williams, Jones, Cato and Corbitt are Black. The investigation into Sarver showed he “repeated or purported to repeat the N-word on at least five occasions spanning his tenure with the Suns,” though it was noted that the independent lawyers hired by the NBA to conduct the probe made “no finding that Sarver used this racially insensitive language with the intent to demean or denigrate.”
PayPal’s statement came one day after vice chairman of the Suns Jahm Najafi called for Sarver to resign, saying there should be “zero tolerance” for lewd, misogynistic and racist conduct in any workplace. Some players, including Suns guard Chris Paul — a former president of the National Basketball Players Association — and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, have said the NBA’s sanctions of Sarver did not go far enough.
PayPal is based in San Jose, California. The technology platform and digital payment company has also been a partner with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a Spanish soccer team, both owned by Sarver.
