The Phoenix Suns were formerly under Robert Sarver, who is also the former owner of the Phoenix Mercury and the RCD Mallorca La Liga Spanish football team. Sarver bought the Suns in 2004, where he purchased them for a then-record $401 million.
In 2021, the NBA fined and suspended Sarver for allegations regarding racism and misogyny. In December of 2022, Sarver decided to sell both the Suns and Mercury to Mat Ishbia for $4 billion.
“Mat is the right leader to build on franchise legacies of winning and community support and shepherd the Suns and Mercury into the next era,” Sarver said then.
Since then, we have heard nothing but great things about Ishbia. Of course, there was the incident with Nikola Jokic, but that was just two competitive guys going at each other. The two ended up making up, too.
Recently, Ishbia showed one of the biggest reasons he is already one of the best owners in pro sports.
Suns’ Ishbia connects with fans
There are only so many owners that are hands-on with fans. Suppose there was one that is the most notable; it’s probably Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Besides that, Ishbia has been leading the charge, as there is evidence of it on Twitter.
One fan recently tweeted out a screenshot of an email they got back from Ishbia. The fan wanted to email Ishbia and let them know how they felt, and they weren’t expecting to get anything back. So, when they did, the fan didn’t think it was actually the owner of the Suns, but instead an automated system of some sort.
Ishbia replied to the fan and let them know it was him.
“It was me that responded. I reply to all my own emails and social media. Thanks for the support of the Suns, Mercury, and me. I appreciate it,” Ishia wrote.
It was me that responded. I reply to all my own emails and social media. Thanks for the support of the Suns, Mercury, and me. I appreciate it.
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) September 6, 2023
Not every owner does this, and in fact, most don’t. However, it shows the fans that you see their concerns and things they like. It shows that the fans are important because they are.
Ishbia may have only been the owner of the Suns for a few months, but he is showing to be the real deal. He has already had a few wins in his short tenure as the owner.