Suns owner Mat Ishbia has received an apology from ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith after he criticized Ishbia as one of the worst owners in NBA history. The criticism came during a “First Take” segment, where Smith said Ishbia was on the verge of being recognized as the worst owner in basketball.
Ishbia, however, took umbrage with Smith’s comments, stating that while he doesn’t take much of what Smith says seriously, he believes an apology is coming his way. Ishbia felt that connecting him to former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was a low blow and disrespectful.
Smith later admitted on Friday that he made a mistake by putting Ishbia in the same category as Sterling. He claimed that his intention was to make a basketball-related comparison, not a personal one. Despite this, Ishbia still expects an apology from Smith for what he perceived as a hurtful comment.
Ishbia’s own performance with the Suns has been underwhelming, with a 34-46 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. However, Ishbia downplayed Smith’s criticism, stating that he thinks almost every owner could say they didn’t win a championship in their first few years.
The apology from Smith was seen as a step in the right direction, but it’s unclear whether the two will be able to put their differences aside anytime soon.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/suns-owner-mat-ishbia-gets-apology-from-stephen-a-smith-after-he-called-ishbia-one-of-the-worst-owners-in-nba-history-015433990.html