PHOENIX — Stephen A. Smith offered a rare on-air apology to Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia on Friday morning, walking back part of his viral takedown while doubling down on his overall critique of the franchise’s direction under Ishbia’s leadership.
Speaking on First Take, Smith acknowledged he went too far when invoking disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling during a previous segment criticizing Ishbia. “Mat Ishbia is absolutely right, I do owe him an apology,” Smith said. “I should not have mentioned Mat Ishbia’s name in the same breath as Donald Sterling in that regard.”
Smith clarified that his comparison was only meant to reflect on-court ineffectiveness, not personal misconduct. “I was talking about the Donald Sterling that would be sitting courtside, heckling his own damn players and never winning anything,” he added. “I certainly did not mean to compare him to someone who was thrown out of the league and widely recognized as a racist. That was never my intention.”
But that olive branch was short-lived.
“Unfortunately, for you sir, that’s the only thing I’m wrong about,” Smith said, immediately pivoting back to a scathing evaluation of Ishbia’s early tenure. “In your first two years, there is legitimate argument that you are an atrocity — one of the worst owners in the history of the sport.”
Smith criticized Ishbia for firing two championship-winning coaches in consecutive years, for a lack of front-office direction, and for the Suns’ dramatic fall from 2021 Finals contenders to a 2025 team that missed the playoffs despite three max-contract stars on the roster.
Referencing a tweet from Kevin Durant, Smith added, “I gave him [Durant] two percent of the responsibility, and somehow that’s a crime now.” Smith did not agree with Ishbia making it seem that his decisions are above critique.
Though he gave Ishbia credit for spending money and investing in the fan experience, Smith argued that resources alone don’t define good ownership.
“Everything is roses. Nothing’s wrong,” Smith said. But according to him it needed to be said — the team is going nowhere fast.
As tension simmers between media scrutiny and front-office confidence, the Suns remain squarely under the national microscope. And Smith, calling out everything, will make sure nothing goes unnoticed.
Full segment of Stephen A. Smith’s response on First Take.
Mat Ishbia fires back at Stephen A. Smith: ‘disrespectful and inappropriate’
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Reporter Reyna Stanley covers the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on X @rey_stanley776.
