Suns Owner Mat Ishbia Has Surprising Response to Incident with Nikola Jokic
During the second quarter of Sunday night’s Game 4 between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic got T’d up.
The Suns’ Josh Okogie fell into some fans sitting courtside after trying to save the ball from going out of bounds. As Jokic ran up to try to retrieve the ball and inbound it back into play, new Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia had it tucked under his arm. The Nuggets’ big man tried to rip it out of his hands, ultimately giving Ishbia a slight shove in the chest (which the former college athlete turned billionaire certainly sold).
If you missed it, check out the tense moment here:
Of course, people are now wondering whether or not Jokic could be suspended for a pivotal Game 5 in Denver. Making contact with a fan is a clear no-no, but we also can’t deny that Ishbia was holding the ball a little too long.
The good news for the Nuggets is that an unlikely source appears to be on their side. Isbhbia himself wrote on Twitter Monday morning that he does not want to see Jokic suspended. He reiterated that he has a lot of respect for Jokic and that a suspension OR fine by the NBA “would not be right.”
Uh, wow! I think we can all agree that’s a pretty shocking statement when we consider that Phoenix is one win away from taking command of the series. But I have to respect it!
As an NBA fan, nobody wants to see the two-time MVP stuck on the sideline for such a massive game. The fact that Ishbia recognizes that is awesome. I guess the NBA has a new great owner on its hands!
