Mat Ishbia is the Worst Owner in the NBA

It is extremely expensive to purchase an NBA franchise. You can’t just, like, show up to work on time and try harder than everyone and hope to amass the wealth necessary to become an NBA owner.

In order to acquire that much money, you have to be a bad human who exploits workers and lies and cheats and steals.

New Phoenix Suns owner, Mat Ishbia, is the poster child for the disgusting business practices required to become a billionaire.

Last month, Ishbia’s big mortgage firm was sued by an Ohio attorney general for its predatory scheme in which Ishbia’s firm claimed to work with “independent” brokers and insurance companies—when in reality, they all colluded together to drive up all the prices.

“Thousands of unsuspecting borrowers did not obtain any such ‘independent’ advice or representation,” alleges the suit. “Rather, they were ensnared in UWM’s scheme, and steered, without their knowledge, to UWM’s higher-priced loans.”

This was a month ago.

An owner of an NBA team is actively screwing over potential home owners in an era where home purchasing is already an impossible feat. Mat Ishbia is actively making the world a worse place.

So it should shock no one to hear that the man who runs an evil mortgage company is also an asshole to his Phoenix Suns employees.

Here’s a little bit of the details from a new lawsuit against Ishbia by a Phoenix Suns employee:

In 2023, Traylor presented a security assessment that he alleges led to retaliation from management and ultimately a demotion. The presentation, viewed by The Athletic, included specific examples of incidents that Traylor said put the organization at risk. Among them:

In March of 2023, a former “team associate” was found to have stolen more than $40,000 in player shoes, apparel and merchandise.
In April of 2023, a “disgruntled subject” attempted to disrupt a photo op that included then-general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein.
In June of 2023, a “political influencer” harassed former Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner as she walked through a Dallas airport.

The complaint also alleges the Suns failed multiple arena security tests. According to the lawsuit, the Phoenix Police Department’s Homeland Defense Bureau conducted field tests in 2023 and 2024 during which plainclothes officers successfully smuggled weapons into the arena.

Gene Traylor was hired in January of 2023 as the director of safety, security and risk management and when he tried to do his job—making the place safe—he was punished and all of his safety concerns were swept under the rug.

The story goes on to detail racial discrimination and some sexual harassment.

Mat Ishbia was a hero for taking over the Phoenix Suns following the awkward dismissal of previous owner, Robert Sarver—who could not stop saying the n-word.

Turns out, Mat Ishbia isn’t some super progressive guy who was coming to turn the culture around.

He’s actually just every billionaire ever—singularly focused on squeezing every penny out of a stone, refusing to spend, even if it would make the building and his employees safer. These men would rather let the whole building collapse than pay a few extra dollars to get the building up to code. Shit, these guys would rather pay local politicians briefcases full of cash to skirt these regulations than simply abide by them.

We can talk about Kevin Durant bringing strange vibes to Phoenix or Bradley Beal being a shell of his former self but the Suns will never be a championship contender as long as their owner spends all of his time ruining people’s lives and then fighting in court to get away with it.

Fuck Mat Ishbia.

24 Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery

If you enjoyed what you read, head over to our Substack. We’ve got more content making fun of the ridiculous world we live in, sent directly to your email inbox daily.

Follow us over on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee.