While other owners quietly pad their draft odds with “strategic rest,” Mat Ishbia isn’t just talking, he’s igniting. The Phoenix Suns’ owner didn’t just call out tanking; he called it loser mentality, and he’s not apologizing. On The Pat McAfee Show, Ishbia didn’t just drop truth bombs; he offered a $2 million prize to resurrect the Slam Dunk Contest, because entertainment matters.

And if you think that’s bold? He’s just getting started. After calling out teams who prioritize ping-pong balls over competitive integrity last week, the billionaire owner doubled down on his comments.

“It’s an embarrassment, this whole… my perspective is, tanking is loser mentality,” Ishbia told McAfee. Ishbia is known for his aggressive pursuit of a title in Phoenix and the Suns reflect that. He characterized the current wave of tanking as a fundamental rot in the league’s culture.

“I have never been around anyone, you show me someone who wants to lose, who thinks about losing, I will show you a loser. That’s losers, that’s not my stuff.”

Ishbia argued that while the draft is intended to help struggling teams, the intentional manipulation of rosters is toxic. “If you purposely trade for players and then don’t play them, trying to lose games… I think it’s bad for the NBA. I think Adam Silver knows it, organizations know it, it’s gotta change. It will change.”

Adam Silver is apparently cracking the whip on teams for tanking. Where teams are seemingly undeterred by fines, Ishbia’s support might save fans from disappointment.

Mat Ishbia could help Adam Silver’s tanking dilemma

Speaking to a local news outlet last week, Ishbia called tanking “worse than any prop bet scandal.” Which is saying something amid an ongoing federal gambling investigation. He backed Adam Silver and the league office’s recent efforts to curb tanking both times.

He wasn’t just moralizing. He was reframing the conversation in legal, reputational, and financial terms. In an era where the NBA is under federal scrutiny over gambling integrity, Ishbia’s comparison is an opportune stroke: he’s positioning tanking not as a tactical flaw, but as a brand-destroying liability. Unlike a rogue bet, which can be contained, tanking erodes fan trust, TV ratings, and sponsor value. Systemic damage that can’t be fined away.

His public alignment with Adam Silver isn’t just loyalty, it’s strategic signaling. By backing the league office, Ishbia positions himself as the ‘clean owner’ in a league where optics matter more than ever. He’s not just fighting tanking, he’s building a moral and marketable brand for Phoenix: one that says, “We play to win, not to lose.” That’s not just sportsmanship, it’s smart business.

Moreover, Ishbia’s comments come amid unprecedented tension between the league office and several franchises. Following the 2026 All-Star break, the NBA was forced to take drastic action against teams deemed to be in violation of the Player Participation Policy.

The Utah Jazz were hit with a staggering $500,000 fine for benching Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. during critical fourth-quarter stretches against Miami and Orlando.

Fans suspect that the NBA commissioner also made him overturn Markkanen’s rest status between two injury reports 45 minutes apart.

Along with the Jazz, the Indiana Pacers were docked $100,000 for resting Pascal Siakam in a game. Despite these hefty fines, reports claim teams are willing to pay up to get richer in first-round draft picks.

These fines are reportedly part of Commissioner Adam Silver’s broader effort to combat the ‘misaligned incentives’ (as called in NBA media) that reward losing. Ishbia, however, remains one of the few owners to publicly back the Commissioner’s disciplinary streak.

“It’s fixable, and Adam Silver, credit to him. He knows it’s a problem, he is gonna fix it. I believe he will fix it,” Ishbia proclaimed. Yet he fears that the league’s current structure inadvertently encourages the very behavior Silver is punishing.

The debate over tanking has reached a fever pitch amid projections of the 2026 draft class’s depth. But that’s not a concern for the Suns.

They’ve depleted their draft capital in trading away Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to remain competitive right now. Irrespective of injuries, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green have presented a better outlook for the present than to focus on a future rebuild.

Ishbia’s Phoenix model might be Silver’s solution to align the financial and competitive goals of all 30 teams. Until then, the Suns’ boss is making it clear that Phoenix will remain a win-at-all-costs organization, viewing any other approach as an insult to the game.