Robert Sarver

In 1984, Sarver founded the National Bank of Tucson (which he expanded statewide and changed the name to the National Bank of Arizona).[6] In 1994, he sold the National Bank of Arizona, then the largest independent bank in the state, to Zions Bancorporation.[6] In 1995, he acquired Grossmont Bank, one of San Diego's largest community banks. Grossmont was also sold to Zions Bancorporation in 1997.[7] In 1998, Sarver led Zions Bancorporation's acquisition of Sumitomo Bank of California.[6] In 2003, he became chairman of Western Alliance Bancorporation based in Phoenix.[6][8]

In 1990, Sarver co-founded the real estate company Southwest Value Partners with Millard Seldin.[6] In 1995, Southwest Value Partners purchased the Emerald Plaza in San Diego.[6] In 2004, his jointly owned real estate firm, Southwest Value Partners, sold the Emerald Plaza and two other San Diego office buildings to Santa Ana real estate firm, Triple Net Properties, for $274.5 million.[9]

A lifelong sports fan, Sarver's quest to purchase an NBA team began with a conversation with University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson. Olson referred Sarver to Steve Kerr, a former player at Arizona and a 15-year NBA veteran, to assist him in buying an NBA franchise. In 2004, he purchased the Phoenix Suns for a then-record $401 million.[6]

In 2020, Sarver and the Suns collaborated with Verizon on a state of the art, 53,000-square foot practice arena called the Verizon 5G Performance Center.[10] The $45 million facility uses 5G technology to merge computer-aided motion analysis, player and ball tracking, and shot tracking to provide precise information to players and coaches.[11] In 2021, Sarver and the Suns oversaw a $230 million renovation and expansion of Footprint Center, formerly known as Talking Stick Resort Arena.[12] The renovations include ultra-modern amenities, premium seating options, themed bars, new suites, and additional social spaces. On top of the physical changes to the arena, there has been an overhaul to the game presentation including enhancements to sound, lighting and video systems.[13] The modernization also included significant improvements to the arena's infrastructure.[14]

In 2021, the Suns reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993. Despite strong play from their young core, the Suns eventually lost to the Bucks 4–2. Though overlooked as potential championship contenders at the start of the season after a previous decade of missing the playoffs, the Suns, built by Sarver, general manager James Jones, and coach Monty Williams, have quickly developed into one of the strongest organizations in the NBA.[15]

Founded in 1997 by former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, Sarver purchased the WNBA team alongside the Phoenix Suns in 2004.[16]  Of the original eight franchises created at the founding of the WNBA for the inaugural 1997 season, the Phoenix Mercury are one of only three remaining in the 12-team league (along with the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks).[17] Of the twelve WNBA teams, only five share the same majority owner as their NBA counterpart (Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Washington Mystics).[18] Under Sarver's ownership, the Mercury have won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014) and won conference titles four times, including during the 2021 season (2007, 2009, 2014, 2021).[19][20]

In January 2016, Sarver bought football team RCD Mallorca, at the time in the Spanish second division, for €20 million.[21] Under his poor management early on, the team was briefly demoted to the Segunda División B (the Spanish third division) for the 2017-18 season before returning to the second division the next season. RCD Mallorca returned to La Liga (the Spanish first division) during the 2019-20 season, though they returned to the Segunda División the following season. They have since returned to La Liga as of 2021 and have stayed there as of the 2023–24 season. Initially, Robert Sarver retained his ownership of the RCD Mallorca football team after losing his ownership rights to both Phoenix teams on February 7, 2023, and claimed to not sell his ownership to someone else. However, on July 1 of that year, Sarver let his ownership stake go to former tennis star and RCD Mallorca co-owner Andy Kohlberg, who holds majority ownership of the team going forward.[22]

In response to a 2010 Arizona Senate bill called the "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act", colloquially known as SB-1070, which would make it a state misdemeanor crime for an undocumented person to be in Arizona and obligate police to make an attempt when practicable during a stop, detention or arrest to determine a person's immigration status, the Phoenix Suns adopted special "Los Suns" jerseys on Cinco De Mayo. Sarver also released a scathing rebuke of the law:[38][39][40]

... [T]he result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them... I looked around our plane and looked at our players and the diversity in our organization. I thought we need to go on record that we honor our diversity in our team, in the NBA and we need to show support for that. As for the political part of that, that's my statement. There are times you need to stand up and be heard. I respect people's views on the other side but I just felt it was appropriate for me to stand up and make a statement.[41][40]

In February 2023, Sarver and his wife donated $5 million to Phoenix Suns Charities, the largest single donation the organization has received.[42] He also gave Suns team employees that have stayed with the organization for at least one year a bonus of $20,000 for each individual.[43]