The Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner is defending himself against charges of racism and sexism even though nobody knows the allegations yet

• ESPN is preparing to drop a bombshell report about Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver.
• The story accuses Sarver of racism, sexism, and sexual harassment, per NBA Insider Jordan Schultz.
• Sarver used team accounts to defend himself and "categorically deny" the "baseless claims."

Robert Sarver is in hot water - or at least he's acting like he is.

The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner is at the center of a brewing controversy surrounding the culture of his professional basketball franchises. According to NBA Insider Jordan Schultz, ESPN is on the verge of publishing a damning bombshell report that details multiple accusations of racism, sexism, and sexual harassment against Sarver.

The allegations have the potential to place the multimillionaire in infamous company alongside the likes of disgraced former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

"With enough evidence to support such claims, there's a real chance the league would forcibly remove Sarver," Schultz wrote on Twitter Friday evening.

Sarver was quick to defend himself by all means necessary, mobilizing both of his teams' official social media accounts to "categorically deny" all alleged wrongdoing. The Suns, Mercury, and Footprint Center made a joint announcement calling the claims "completely baseless," and Sarver released his own statement rejecting "any insinuation of personal or organizational racism or gender discrimination."

-Phoenix Mercury - X (@PhoenixMercury) October 22, 2021

Additionally, the franchises' President and CEO, Jason Rowley, and Suns General Manager James Jones, offered testaments to Sarver's character. A source close to both teams told Insider that ESPN asked Rowley and Jones for comment on its looming story, which is why those two executives were the ones acting as Sarver's character witnesses via social media statements.

Rowley insisted that the owner is "not a racist and not a sexist" before accusing the ESPN journalist preparing the report of showing a "reckless disregard for the truth." Jones, meanwhile, simply said that "none of what's been said describes the Robert Sarver I know, respect and like - it just doesn't."

-Phoenix Mercury - X (@PhoenixMercury) October 22, 2021

Nearly a week after Sarver and his teams took their uncompromising defensive stance, ESPN has yet to release its report. Still, Schultz's tweet thread and the franchises' subsequent posts have fueled speculation that Sarver could be on his way out.

"I have been told [the ESPN story could be published] within the next week or two, but that was before I had reported it was coming," Schultz told Arizona's Family Sports Director Mark McClune. "With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if it got expedited ... ESPN has been working on this story for about a year with upwards of 50 to 100 people on the record."

"What I was told is that as big a story you think it is, it's that much bigger," he added. "It's a monster."

"It's gonna blow the NBA world up."