Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishbia had a strong response to the NBA’s tanking crisis.
Ishbia called out other teams in an X post, referring to tanking as “losing behavior.”
“Tanking is losing behavior done by losers,” Ishbia said. “Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations. And the talk about this as a “strategy” is ridiculous.”
More: NBA executive reveals harsh truth on LeBron James’ future with Lakers
Ishbia, who’s owned the Suns since 2023, has had the franchise in “win now” mode since arriving in Phoenix. The Suns traded for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal shortly after he bought the team, which backfired.
He hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind. Ishbia often fires back at the media if he disagrees with something. He recently called out Bill Simmons for incorrectly predicting the Suns’ win total this season.
Ishbia continued, stating teams shouldn’t shut down their players if they’re healthy.
“If you are a bad team, you get a good pick. That makes sense,” Ishbia said. “But purposely shutting down players and purposely losing games is a disgrace and impacts the integrity of whole league.”
He later pointed his comments at NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, pleading for him to address the prevalence of tanking.
“Awful behavior that Adam Silver and the NBA will need to stop with massive changes, and I have complete confidence that with his leadership, he will fix it,” Ishbia said. “Those of us in a position of influence need to speak out.”
Silver has been quiet on the growing issue of tanking. But it’s becoming clear that the league must address the lack of competitiveness at the bottom of the standings.
