Robert Sarver

Robert Sarver led the ownership group that purchased the N.B.A.’s Suns and the W.N.B.A.’s Mercury from Jerry Colangelo in 2004 for $401 million, then a record price for an N.B.A. team. He had made his fortune in banking, as the executive chairman of the Western Alliance Bank, and as a founding partner of Southwest Value Partners, a San Diego-based real estate firm. Mr. Sarver is the Managing Partner of the Phoenix Suns, a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association. He has also expanded his sights beyond basketball, leading a group that included Steve Nash, who played for the Suns for several years, in buying the Spanish soccer club Real Mallorca. He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Western Alliance Bancorporation, a commercial bank holding company that does business in Nevada, California, and Arizona. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of California Bank and Trust from 1995 to 2001. Prior to 1995, he served as the President of National Bank of Arizona. Mr. Sarver is an Executive Director of Southwest Value Partners, a real estate investment company, and a Director of Meritage Corporation, a builder of single-family homes.