Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia is under heavy scrutiny today after a voicemail was leaked by a new company, Hunterbrook Media.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the voicemail, Ishbia is heard using profanity-laced language to celebrate his mortgage company, United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), overtaking Dan Gilbert’s (Cleveland Cavaliers owner) company, Rocket Mortgage, as the No. 1 mortgage company in America last year.
Here is a transcript of what Ishbia said:
“Hey buddy, hope you’re doing good. Just want to say love ya. We f—– took those c——– down. F— them. We’re going to keep f—– sticking it to them, forever. F— those guys. We’re No. 1. We kicked the s— out of them. Brokers are No. 1. UWM is No. 1. You’re No. 1. We’re all No. 1 together – and f— them. I f—– hate them with all my heart and we’re gonna keep kicking their a– every f—— day, that’s why I was here at f—– 4 AM again today, I don’t give a f—. We’re gonna keep kicking a–. So love you man, we talked about it (inaudible). I’m gonna win and you’re gonna win. Both are happening right now. Keep hiring. Keep building. Keep growing. Let’s f—– go.”
Hunterbook Media used this as their debut story in the media scene and published a much deeper hit story into the finds into Ishbia and UWM on their website, essentially accusing Ishbia of mortgage fraud.
One of the writers of this piece went on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” show to unveil some of the findings.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia went off on Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's rival business in a leaked voicemail:
"We f**king took those c**ksuckers down. F**k them, and we're gonna keep f**king sticking it to 'em forever. F**k those guys, we're number one."
MUCH more from a bombshell… pic.twitter.com/cf8TrsMWU8
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) April 2, 2024
Check out the full story by clicking here.
Here is how the about page details Hunterbook Media:
“Hunterbrook Media publishes investigative and global reporting — with no ads or paywalls. Our mission is to bring visibility to under-covered regions and accountability to under-scrutinized sectors.
We built this platform because we want our research to be freely available to the public, and we seek to capture the economic value created by world-class reporting, which we believe for too long has gone to everyone except the outlets producing it.
The articles on this website have been reported by Hunterbrook Media. In certain instances when reporting does not include Material Non-Public Information (MNPI), also known as “insider info,” articles may be provided to our affiliate Hunterbrook Capital, an investment firm which may take financial positions based on our research. Hunterbrook Media publishes positions that Hunterbrook Capital takes in connection with Hunterbrook Media’s research — and no other investment firm has early access to the information.
While our approach differs in key ways from traditional journalism — for instance, by seeking to avoid inside sources — we are deeply inspired by the tools and values of both intrepid reporting and open-source intelligence (OSINT).
We’ve designed our unique policies and protocols, written below, on those of institutions with a high commitment to the ethics of reporting. Our Advisory Board includes the first Public Editor of The New York Times, the former Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal, the founder of ProPublica, and several exceptional reporters, among many other Advisors.”
We launch, today, with our investigation of UWM.
UWM says independent mortgage brokers "shop dozens of lenders" to find the "best deal." But the nation's biggest lender pressures those brokers to push deals its way. Hunterbrook found $39 billion in mortgages came from brokers… pic.twitter.com/m7yqOkiixp
— Hunterbrook (@hntrbrkmedia) April 2, 2024
The Suns host Gilbert’s Cavaliers in their next game on Wednesday. Ahead of this matchup, another story on the feud of Gilbert and Ishbia, who both live in Michigan and went to Michigan State, was published by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes today.
This story details a long-standing rivalry between the two, but gives two specific instances of their feud when Ishbia bought the Mercury and Suns.
First of all, Gilbert was the only owner to not approve the sale of the franchise to Ishbia, as he abstained from voting, so Ishbia still won an unanimous 29-0 vote from NBA owners.
When Ishbia gained control of the organizations, he made it one of his first goals to have Rocket Mortgage removed as a sponsor of the team as quickly as possible.
Check out the full ESPN story by clicking here.
Mat Ishbia talks Suns, Mercury, UWM and more on Pat McAfee Show
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
