PHOENIX — New majority owner Mat Ishbia is already addressing social media rumors at his introductory news conference with the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.
Rumors spread after NBA insider Chris Haynes tweeted during the Suns game that Ishbia intends to "bring on Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas to have a prominent role in the front office."
Phoenix Suns new owner Mat Ishbia intends to bring on Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas to have a prominent role in the front office, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 8, 2023
Social media largely reacted negatively to the news, as Thomas was linked to a lawsuit in which a female employee of the New York Knicks won over sexual harassment and a hostile work environment in 2007.
Ishbia, who called Thomas a close friend during the news conference Wednesday, said he plans to be transparent about any front office moves and will be the first to announce them. With that, he said he doesn't plan on bringing on the former New York Knicks GM.
"There's no role for Isiah at this time," Ishbia said. "If you want to know something, just call me and ask."
At the news conference Wednesday, ABC15 got the chance to speak one-on-one with Ishbia.
“Sometimes you have a dream, and you don't know if you can ever achieve it,” Ishbia told ABC15. “You work and you work, and you work and you work, and when you get there, you're like, ‘I know what it’s gonna feel like,’ and then it's 100 times better. Especially being out here in Phoenix with the Suns and the Mercury, [I] couldn't be more excited, more honored and more ready to roll.”
Ishbia is replacing Robert Sarver after the league's investigation into the Suns' organization revealed a toxic work environment in which Sarver used racist and misogynistic language.
So, what will the workplace look like under Ishbia?
“I think there's a lot of great things here, but there's a lot of things that we have to make a lot better,” he said. “So I'm gonna dig in and figure it out. But the culture is gonna be about caring about people, doing right by people, giving them the opportunity to grow and succeed, training them, coaching them, and treat them so well they never want to leave.”
Ishbia will get acclimated to the operation here in Phoenix before making any big, institutional changes, but that won’t prevent a possible trade prior to Thursday’s deadline.
“We’re willing, energized, excited to do whatever it takes,” he said. “It takes what it takes sometimes, and like we talk about in my mortgage business, we're gonna figure out how to make it happen. Remember, I’m gonna own this thing for decades and decades and be the steward for decades and decades, 40-50 years. We’ve got to make sure we do the right thing, long-term and short-term.”
“I think we can win right now making zero changes. I think we can win a championship. That's how good I think our team is. Can I do something to improve it? Hey, we're involved with it, and we're spending the next 24 hours digging in, just like we have been for days now, if not weeks.”
