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By Connor Moreno
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – The only way that Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia will feel vindicated is by winning a championship. And he expressed that desire Monday at Suns media day.
Ishbia’s goal this offseason after the Suns were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves was to cultivate a more collective winning culture. He believes that goal starts with him and putting his team in a position to succeed.
“I’m not trying to be the best player or the best coach or the best GM,” Ishbia said. “My job is to be the best owner in sports which means give (the Suns) the best resources.
“I learned that it’s a team game … you have to have great players, a great coach, a great GM, great CEO, great owner, great marketing people, great concession people. We’re a team. That’s why we’re able to compete for a championship at all levels.”
Ishbia bought the Suns in February of 2023 and is preparing for his second full season as owner. Since he and Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein stepped foot in the door, Ishbia let it be known that he’ll do whatever it takes to facilitate winning.
“It’s the best,” Bartelstein said about Ishbia’s initiative to finance winning at all costs. “That’s not the norm. Usually there’s a lot of restrictions. Any time myself, James (Jones) or (Mike Budenholzer) come to Mat with an idea … he always supports it. He understands how basketball works and it’s a major competitive advantage for us.”
Many of the investments that Ishbia and Bartelstein have made to the Suns organization – such as upgrading the Verizon 5G Performance Center where they practice or retaining key additions Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Damion Lee, Josh Okogie and Bol Bol – have helped attract free agents.
The Suns signed nine new players during free agency, including Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris, all of whom have skill sets that adress the team’s shortcomings last season.
Among all of Phoenix’s notable additions, one was possibly the most crucial – the hiring of coach Mike Budenholzer, an NBA champion and two-time coach of the year. Naming Budenholzer the coach of the Suns was yet another move in line with Ishbia’s goal of putting together an accomplished organization.
“Bud cares about every detail of every aspect,” Ishbia said “There’s no detail too small for this guy. He’s been everything that I thought he would be and then some.”
The Suns hired Budenholzer in May after dismissing Frank Vogel after one season. The club finished 49-33 and didn’t win a playoff game.
Also significant in the offseason was the summer that stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant experienced. They returned not only as Olympic gold medalists but as arguably two of the four most important pieces to winning a gold medal.
The pair learned how much buy-in it takes to win Olympic gold in a short amount of time, lessons that can be applied to a full season of NBA competition and playoffs shortly thereafter.
“We were tested to the highest degree but I think our chemistry got us over the hump,” Booker said. “Everybody was not in their normal roles and we wanted to do other things to help contribute and that’s what we did.”
Durant added, “it’s always good to win and understand what goes into it and how much of the pride it is. Even though that was a condensed period of a month. It was good on the brain to understand what it takes every day to go win.”
In the 1992 Olympics, future Suns star Charles Barkley aided the “Dream Team” in winning gold in Barcelona. The subsequent season, Barkley led Phoenix to the NBA Finals against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Budenholzer believes that international basketball, especially at an Olympics level, is great at preparing players for NBA greatness,, and thinks a Barkley-esque future is fitting for Booker.
“Let’s go for it,” Budenholzer said. “Let’s get Devin Booker to go from gold medalist to the NBA Finals. I think the international play can be a springboard to a great season.”
Winning is the primary goal for Ishbia and his organization. And he believes championship is the only way to justify his intentions.
“How am I going to be vindicated?” Ishbia said. “There’s only one way to say we had a lot of success (in and after the offseason), and that’s win a championship.”
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