Robert Sarver, the owner of the NBA Phoenix Suns, became one of the biggest villains of the league since the NBA on Tuesday released his "workplace misconduct" as the team's managing partner.

The NBA decided to fine Sarver $10 million and ban him from participating in any of the Suns' management affairs for a year as his punishment. This decision, like Sarver, was under a lot of criticism.

"Read through the Sarver stories a few times now. I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong. I don't need to explain why. Y'all read the stories and decide for yourself," Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James posted on Twitter. "I said it before and I'm gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn't right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don't matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it."

Chris Paul, franchise point guard of the Suns and former president of the NBA Players Association (NBAPA), said the punishment "fell short." "This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated," Paul tweeted. "I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected."

Of course, Sarver himself was under much more ferocious attack. PayPal, the jersey patch partner of the Suns, threatened on Friday to cut its sponsorship if Sarver returns to manage the team.

"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," the company's CEO and president Dan Schulman said in a statement.

The Suns minority owner Jahm Najafi called for Sarver's resignation. "I cannot in good judgment sit back and allow our children and future generations of fans to think that this behavior is tolerated because of wealth and privilege. Therefore, in accordance with my commitment to helping eradicate any form of racism, sexism and bias, as Vice Chairman of the Phoenix Suns, I am calling for the resignation of Robert Sarver," Najafi wrote in a letter to the team’s employees.

The NBAPA believes that Sarver should be banned for life instead of a year. "We are absolutely calling for that [lifetime ban]," NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said in an interview with ESPN. "We do not want him to be in a position where he is managing or engaging with individuals who are engaging with our players or the players themselves. We are absolutely clear from the findings that are in the report that we do not want him to be in that position."

$10 million is the biggest fine the NBA can deliver. Commissioner Adam Silver explained the punishment against Sarver in a statement and said he doesn't "have the right to take away his team."

"It was relevant. I think if they had made findings that, in fact, his conduct was motivated by racial animus, absolutely that would have had an impact on the ultimate outcome here. But that's not what they found," Silver said. "I have certain authority by virtue of this organization, and that's what I exercise. I don't have the right to take away his team. I don't want to rest on that legal point because of course there could be a process to take away someone's team in this league. It's very involved, and I ultimately made the decision that it didn't rise to that level. But, to me, the consequences are severe here on Mr. Sarver."

The league dealt with similar issues before and came up with a different decision. Back in 2014, Donald Sterling, who was the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers then, was banned from the league for life and fined $2.5 million for racist comments. In the end, Sterling had to sell his ownership over the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.

Sarver paid $404 million to purchase his ownership over the Suns in 2004. Forbes valued the team at $1.8 billion in October 2021, 18th among all 30 teams of the NBA.