Small statement, big changes for the NBA and the Phoenix Suns

It was such a small decision for the League @NBA did not even release a tweet, but the short statement means a lot to the Phoenix Suns and Suns fans.

You would think an announcement like this would warrant at least a tweet linking you to the “Official release” from the league. Instead, the NBA posted the release and let a few folks know that the NBA Board of Governors has met and approved the sale of the Suns from Robert Sarver to Mat Ishbia. The sale will end the tumultuous tenure of Sarver as owner.

The banker never connected with fans getting off the wrong foot from the beginning by not re-signing Joe Johnson. In over a decade of ownership, there has been a lot more bad than good with Sarver, and he leaves under a dark cloud of harassment and mistreatment allegations, which the league substantiated. Following that investigation, the writing was on the wall for Sarver, and the result is the transaction that “is expected to close this week,” according to the release.

NBA Board of Governors’ approval is a big step in the sale of the Suns

The approval of the NBA Board of Governors – i.e., all the other owners –  is a big deal and is required before a team can be sold. Now that the League has approved the sale – seemingly a rubber stamp after the investigation – the whole transaction can occur.

According to Shams Charania, the vote was unanimous in approval of the sale to Ishbia, with only Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers abstaining from the vote.

Presumably, Gilbert’s silent opposition has more to do with the rivalry between his Rocket Mortgage company and Ishbia’s United Wholesale Mortgage, than it does anything else. The feud may help us land Lebron in the summer for the Suns, but that is a different story.  For now, Suns fans can rejoice a little; a new owner is officially coming to town.