Troy Smith
Mat Ishiba is the owner of the Phoenix Suns. Last night, he sat courtside as his Suns shined their way to a 129-125 game with the heavyweight Denver Nuggets.
Videos by Rare
In the second quarter of the game, a play occurred near the seat of Suns owner Mat Ishiba. The ball bounced into his hands. Since the Nuggets had gained possession, Denver center Nikola Jokic went to Ishiba and attempted to take the ball from him.
Jokic had no idea it was the owner of the Suns. A shoving match ensued in which Ishiba appeared to exaggerate a shove, falling back into his seat. See the video of this altercation below…
Bro Mat Ishiba floppin like he a player lookin for free throws 😂😂😂#NBAPlayoffs #NBA pic.twitter.com/QfhoRp3RX3
— Sports Bro (@SportsBroo) May 8, 2023
Jokic just shoved the owner of the suns 😳 pic.twitter.com/oQOyZDP1A1
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 8, 2023
Nikola Jokic then received a technical foul for the altercation. Though Denver lost this game, Jokic himself put up 53 points. Mike Malone, coach of the Nuggets, was asked about this altercation after the game.
He said that he did not understand it and that he thought it was ‘crazy’ that Jokic received a technical foul. A reporter then told Malone that the ‘fan’ was the Sun’s owner Mat Ishiba. Malone replied swiftly, “I don’t give a s***”.
See a clip of that moment below…
Mike Malone: "I think it's crazy that Nikola [Jokic] got a technical foul… He's going to get the ball and some fan is holding onto the ball like he wants to be apart of the game."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 8, 2023
Reporter: "The fan was the owner of the Suns."
MM: "I don't give a sh*t."pic.twitter.com/pMrfe1HUGE
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker proved to be a bit too much to handle for the Denver Nuggets. Do you think Jokic deserved a technical here?
Personally, I believe the conduct of Mat Ishiba is absurd. He has no right to hold the basketball during a playoff game. Jokic was attempting to take advantage of the situation, and Ishiba seemed intent on stopping that process.
If this were a normal fan, he would probably be banned for life. Ishiba should spend the rest of the playoffs in some kind of booth, far away from the possibility of interfering with the game once again.
