The owner of Phoenix Suns, Mat Ishbia, is not satisfied with the ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith.
Ishbia has clearly indicated that, although he does not take Smith's comments seriously to the fact that he is “about to be recognized as the worst owner” of basketball, he thinks that apologies are presenting themselves in the near future.
“Stephen A. Smith, I don't take much from what he says seriously,” said Ishbia on Thursday at the team's press conference, via Arizona République. “I don't think many people do it, to be honest with you.”
Smith, earlier this week, entered Ishbia on “First Take” and said he was one of the worst owners in the history of the NBA with the way he had managed the Suns for a short period at the helm.
“Mat Ishbia must understand that at the moment, you are about to be recognized as the worst owner of the history of basketball”, Smith said. “It says a lot. It says a lot. Donald Sterling once had a NBA franchise … This is the trajectory, if you are Mat Ishbia, that you are currently being recognized as the worst owner of the history of basketball.”
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First, comparing Ishbia to Donald Sterling is not really an excellent argument. While the Suns have largely struggled since Ishbia took over, he is always better than Sterling – who sold the Clippers of Los Angeles and received a life ban from the NBA after having made racist comments to his mistress on a recording, among others. The man of which Ishbia bought the Suns was also extremely problematic. Robert Sarver was faced with racism, misogyny and work cultivation allegations before finally selling the team in Ishbia for $ 4 billion in 2023.
Ishbia, for all the problems of the Suns, is not at this level.
But looking at how the Suns have occurred this season, it is easy to see where Smith takes. The Suns went only 34-46 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020 despite the entrance to the year with the three Great Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. They Coach Mike Budenholzer tooWho will put them in place with a fourth head coach in four seasons once they hired his replacement, and during the move is probably in motion after a late trade for him fell on the deadline a few months ago. Ishbia even admitted that the season was “embarrassing” and a “failure”.
But Smith's comments comparing him to the worst of the worst owners did not stay well with Ishbia.
“If he means that the first two and a half matt Ishbia bought the team, we did not win a championship, I think you could probably say that about almost all the owners. But yes, we had great expectations, but we did not win,” he said.
“We spent a lot of money and we did not earn. Yeah. Yeah. Be critical of me on that. But to say even this kind of thing, I think he will apologize. I think he was out of line and I think he knows it. I don't think he really thinks. “
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Regarding the comparison of the pound sterling, Ishbia does not think it will remain much longer.
“He does his thing, he is on the microphone and I think he will apologize to me because I think he is disrespectful to put my name aligned with anyone who was expelled from the league or by being no longer part,” he said.
