Phoenix Suns’ Mat Ishbia expects Stephen A. Smith to apologize for claiming he might be the worst owner in NBA history.
After seeing Phoenix fire their third head coach in three years and missing the playoffs despite having the highest payroll in the NBA, Smith went right to the top and placed 98 percent of the blame on Ishbia earlier this week on First Take.
“Mat Ishbia needs to understand that right now you are on the verge of being recognized as the worst owner in the history of basketball,” Smith claimed. “That’s saying a lot. Donald Sterling once owned an NBA franchise. James Dolan, until he recently hired Leon Rose, was on that trajectory. That’s the trajectory that you are on right now. Being recognized as arguably the worst owner in the history of basketball.”
Thursday morning, Ishbia held a press conference to discuss his team’s disappointing season. And while meeting with the media, Ishbia was asked about a “national reporter mak[ing] some ridiculous statements” on potentially being the worst owner in sports history. While it might be a stretch to call Smith a “national reporter,” Ishbia still knew what statement he was being asked about.
“Stephen A. Smith, I don’t take much he says seriously. I don’t think many people do, to be honest with you,” Ishbia said. “The things he said about Kevin Durant, just wrong and disrespectful. The things he said about LeBron James, just disrespectful and inappropriate. With that being said, I don’t really think Stephen A. believes what he said. I think he’s doing his thing, he’s on the mic and…I think he’ll apologize to me because it’s disrespectful to put my name aligned with anybody that was kicked out of the league or no longer part [of the league].”
Smith put Ishbia in a class with ex-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and former Suns owner Robert Sarver. In 2014, Sterling was banned from the NBA for life after a recording emerged of him making racist remarks. In 2022, Sarver was fined $10 million dollars and suspended a full year following an investigation into allegations that he repeatedly used racist and misogynistic language as owner of the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. The investigation determined Sarver used the N-word in public on at least five occasions and made “many sex-related comments in the workplace.”
Following the investigation, many NBA players, including LeBron James, Chris Paul and Draymond Green deemed the punishment to be too lenient. And after PayPal threatened to end its partnership with the Suns over Sarver’s actions, he decided to sell the team, with Ishbia ultimately winning the bid.
Smith wouldn’t be wrong in saying Ishbia has been a bad owner during his first few years with the Suns. He purchased a team that was one season removed from making the NBA Finals in 2021 and proceeded to erase their draft capital while plunging them into salary cap hell. But putting him in a class with Sterling and Sarver as the worst owner in NBA history? Ishbia is right, that’s disrespectful. Further, it whitewashes why Sterling and Sarver were forced out of the league.
“He’ll apologize,” Ishbia added of Smith. “I think he was out of line. And I think he knows that. I don’t think he really believes that.”
Smith already responded to Ishbia, and he didn’t apologize. “I love how folks intentionally misconstrue just to avoid the real subject at hand,” Smith wrote, adding that he’ll provide clarification Friday on First Take.
It seems predictable that Smith will claim he was talking about Ishbia from a basketball operations perspective. But Smith knows what Sterling’s legacy is as an owner, and he intentionally used his name while ranting about Ishbia earlier this week.