Billionaire Mat Ishbia makes strong first impression attending first Phoenix Suns game

Ish Wainright hoped Mat Ishbia enjoyed Thursday’s Suns game and didn’t need medical attention afterward.

“Hope he didn’t have a heart attack or anything like that,” the Suns two-way player joked after Friday’s practice. “It was cool having him there.”

Sitting courtside, Ishbia watched the Suns build a 24-point lead against Brooklyn and fight off a furious comeback to win 117-112 Thursday at Footprint Center.

“I think it’s great for the team, the organization and the community to have someone like Mat in place,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “To have him courtside probably allows for everybody to finally put a face to everything that’s been talked about and what hasn’t happened officially, but it kind of lets everybody know this is our guy.”

The billionaire mortgage lender is waiting on NBA approval to officially become the new team owner.

“He’s young,” said Wainright when asked what was his initial first impression of Ishbia, who turned 43 on Jan. 6. “We didn’t really get a chance to talk to him like that, but he’s young. Look like he’s my age.”

Wainright is 28 years old.

“He’s a cool guy,” Wainright added. “I look forward to meeting him, picking his brain about not just basketball, but about business. I want to get to know him.”

Ishbia and Robert Sarver agreed in principle on Dec. 20 the terms of Ishbia's purchase of the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion. It typically takes two months for the NBA to approve a new team owner as the NBA does an extensive background check and financial check.

“I got chance to meet him for first time, briefly,” Williams said about Ishbia. “It was short, but everything that I’ve heard about Mat and his family and the way he runs his business has been pretty cool to hear all that. Getting a chance to talk to him (Friday) was something that I had been looking forward to, but I’m sure our fans can finally say, hey, that’s our guy and move forward.”

Williams noted he’s had five team owners in his two NBA head coaching stints.

“I know I have to continue to do my job, but I also have to understand what he wants me to do,” Williams said. “It’s not about me giving him a list of demands. I want to hear his vision and I heard a little bit of it (Friday) morning, but in detail, I just want to sit and listen and hear his value system and hear the way that he wants to run the team and what he wants to do in the community and it’s on me to carry out that vision.”

Suns general manager and president of basketball operations James Jones, assistant general manager Morgan Cato and vice president Ryan Resch were all present at Friday’s practice.

Williams acknowledged having Ishbia at the game signals a visual change in ownership that came out of Sarver receiving a yearlong suspension and $10-million fine for “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies'' found during a 10-month NBA investigation.

“You can say that without bashing Robert in any way,” said Williams, who Sarver hired in May 2019. “Robert did a lot for this team, he did a lot for this city, he did a lot behind the scenes that people will never know about. It was an unfortunate ending. Me personally, I still think about his kids. I wish them well. (Sarver’s wife) Penny was a sweet lady, but now as we turn the page, you start to look forward to what can be with the team with new ownership.”

The NBA launched its investigation November 2021 in reaction to an ESPN report of allegations of racism and misogyny against Sarver, claiming he created a "toxic" work environment within the organization during his run as owner, which began when he bought the franchise in 2004.

Team vice chairman Sam Garvin became the interim team governor. A week after the NBA revealed the investigations on Sept. 13, Sarver announced he was “seeking buyers” for the Suns and Mercury amid the backlash from people being upset with his punishment.

"As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness," Sarver said in a statement on Sept. 21, 2022. "I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.

"But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible — that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.”

The results of the investigation showed the now 61-year-old Sarver used the N-word multiple times and made inappropriate comments toward women.

“Words that I deeply regret now overshadow nearly two decades of building organizations that brought people together — and strengthened the Phoenix area — through the unifying power of professional men's and women's basketball," Sarver said in the statement.

Ishbia emerged from a long list of potential owners to buy the Suns and Mercury.

On Thursday, he watched his future NBA team in person as he awaits league approval to officially become the Suns new governor.

“I think it’s great for the community, as I said, to finally be able to say, that’s our guy, that’s who we’re going forward with without being disrespectful or piling on to what’s already been talked about a lot,” Williams continued. “I think you can balance those things out and I think you can do it a way that doesn’t disrespect the people that were hurt in that situation. I’m thankful that we’re turning the page and able to go forward and I hope we do in a way that’s respectful and handled with a great deal of integrity.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mat Ishbia visits Phoenix, makes strong first impression with Suns