The Phoenix Suns will be playing a very special game for owner Mat Ishbia during the 2024 preseason.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns announced today that they added a preseason game against the Detroit Pistons at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 4:00 p.m. MST. Ishbia was a walk-on at Michigan State under legendary coach Tom Izzo for four years and part of the 2000 national championship team.
“From being a walk on at Michigan State on the national championship team, to now being able to bring the Phoenix Suns to play at Breslin Center – this is a full circle moment and an incredibly special experience,” Ishbia said in a press release. “MSU and Coach Izzo have had an immeasurable impact on my life and my career, and I wouldn’t be where I am today, including owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, without Coach Izzo’s mentorship. I can’t wait to bring the Spartan community and Phoenix Suns together.”
Ishbia’s company, United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), located in Michigan, has been the official jersey sponsor of the Pistons since 2021. Last October, Ishbia took the Suns on a special tour at UWM after they played the Pistons in the preseason.
Was awesome having my two worlds come together, as the @Suns were in Detroit for our first pre-season game yesterday and stopped by @UWMlending today as well. It was such a special day to have our Suns team walk around campus and play in front of hundreds of UWM team members on… pic.twitter.com/4uY0HM8VSL
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) October 9, 2023
Pistons owner Tom Gores is also a graduate of MSU.
“Michigan State University is a special place and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to bring our team and the excitement of NBA basketball to sports fans in East Lansing,” said Gores in the release. “The Lansing area and MSU community has always supported Pistons Basketball, and we welcome the opportunity to give fans an early look at our efforts to improve the team and create a foundation for delivering competitive basketball.”
This will be a home game for Detroit and the Pistons will return to East Lansing for a preseason contest for the first time since 2018. Suns star Devin Booker also has a lot of ties to Michigan and continues to show his fandom for Michigan-based teams after growing up in Grand Rapids.
“We’re excited to welcome the Pistons and the Suns to Breslin Center – two teams we’re fortunate enough to have great relationships with and close ties to our school and our team,” Izzo said. “Having an NBA game on campus featuring two Spartan alums as owners shows the power of Michigan State and the talent and quality of people that come from our great University.
“It’s an honor to call Tom Gores a friend and everyone knows the special bond I share with Mat having coached him as a former player in our program. I’m excited for the game and the opportunity to showcase NBA basketball to our MSU basketball fans and everyone here in the East Lansing community.”
This game will now be the second of the Suns’ preseason schedule. They will first play the Los Angeles Lakers in Palm Springs on Oct. 6. After this game at Michigan State, Phoenix will travel home to play the Pistons again on Oct. 11. The Suns close out the preseason on the road against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 13 and then at home against the Lakers on Oct. 17.
Phoenix opens the 2024-25 regular season at the brand-new Intuit Dome against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 23. Kevin Durant will have a similar moment to Ishbia this season, as the Suns will take on the San Antonio Spurs at the University of Texas Austin, where Durant played college basketball, on Feb. 20.
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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
