Mat Ishbia Blasts NBA Tanking: ‘It’s a Disgrace, a Loser’s Mentality’

On February 26, during an appearance on a show, Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia did not hide his strong dislike for the culture of tanking in the NBA.

“This is a disgrace. In my mind, tanking is a loser’s mentality,” Ishbia stated bluntly. “Show me someone who wants to lose, who’s trying to lose — I’ll show you a loser. That’s not my mindset.”

Ishbia argued that while the current draft system is theoretically designed to help weaker teams improve by earning high draft picks, it creates a misaligned incentive in practice.

“The draft system itself is fine. If your team isn’t good enough, you’ll naturally get a high pick. But if you’re purposely bringing in players and not playing them just to lose games, I think that’s bad for the NBA. I think the league knows it’s a problem. The league and the teams know it has to change — and it will change,” Ishbia added.

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