Robert Sarver joked about late Dick Heckmann's sons 'f***ing' Phoenix Suns cheerleaders
Robert Sarver, the owner of the Phoenix Suns, is now being under scrutiny for past jokes that he made about Dick Heckmann's apparent sexual exploits at a roast after the team's late co-owner and founder, director or part-owner of an array of businesses including US Filter died.
Sarver is currently being probed by the NBA for alleged sexist and racist behavior. At a roast-style memorial for Heckmann organized by his widow Wendy, Sarver gave a nearly 10-minute speech detailing the sex life of Heckmann, who died in November 2020 from Parkinson's disease at age 76. He even joked about Heckmann's sons allegedly sleeping with cheerleaders as part of his tribute commentary. While excerpts from his roast were previously reported, a video of the entire speech made waves after it was published Tuesday, November 9, by Sports Illustrated.
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"Dick was chasing everything that moved in Scottsdale," Sarver quipped. "Someone said he left his DNA. He did leave his DNA in Steve Nash's sock somewhere in the locker room. That was about the third week after we bought the team," he added.
As mentioned Sarver did not spare Heckmann's sons as he joked about the months after his group bought the Suns in 2004. "My biggest concerns were ticket sales, sponsorship revenue, trying to sign some players, getting a winning record," he said. "What I really know is my biggest concern was the Heckmann boys were f***ing their way through the cheerleading team."
“Inappropriate, outrageous, and consistent with Robert Sarver’s pattern of behavior."
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 10, 2021
SI obtained video of sexually explicit jokes @Suns owner Robert Sarver made at a memorial "roast" in April. @Alex_Prewitt & @Jon_Wertheim with more: https://t.co/fwj8r9637X pic.twitter.com/zbu50xWF4N
Sarver made the salacious comments in April at the memorial event to honor her late husband through jokes at his expense. "This is a roast and I just want to say that no one in this room is safe," she warned as she introduced the event. "This is what Dick Heckmann wanted. He did not want any tears, he wanted laughter, he wanted joy, he wanted everyone to laugh at his funny Dick-isms." Sarver commented on Heckmann's insatiable sexual appetite, recalling how his late pal bragged about having "sex 10 times in a day – unmedicated." He joked that he later learned Heckman was referring to 10 thrusts per day.
An ESPN report recently published allegations that Suns owner Sarver used the n-word frequently and made misogynistic comments to female subordinates, which led to the NBA investigating him. The article mentioned allegations of racism and sexism from more than 70 current and former employees. "There's literally nothing you could tell me about him from a misogynistic or race standpoint that would surprise me," a former Suns executive told ESPN on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, nearly a dozen other anonymous sources claimed to have sought professional help after they suffered anxiety and sleep loss due to the working conditions -- which they said were worsened by Sarver's allegedly frequent verbal abuse. The NBA has since launched a probe into the claims against Sarver, who also owns the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. According to the report, the probe will be conducted by the Wachtell Lipton law firm. "The allegations contained in today's ESPN article are extremely serious," league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. "Once the investigation is completed, its findings will provide the basis for any league action."