Mat Ishbia hasn’t had the easiest life as the Phoenix Suns owner. He took the team over at a turbulent time. Pushing his chips all-in on a Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal core didn’t work. He has also been sued by minority owners during his stint. As a new owner, Ishbia doesn’t feel he is perfect. He has the ‘better than yesterday’ mindset. And he doesn’t mind listening to those with greater experience.

Recently on the Draymond Green Show, the Suns owner shared how he has managed to build relationships around the league with different owners. That includes the Warriors’ current owner Joe Lacob. “Before I owned a team, he got on a call with me, he gave some thoughts and advice, and he’s been a friend ever since then,” said Ishbia.

Another person who has been of tremendous help is former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban. “I’ve become friendly with Mark Cuban, he’s given me some different advice. And like Mark Lazar, who used to be on the Bucks, he’s no longer there. But people have reached out, and there’s more, there’s many more,” said the Suns owner on the Draymond Green Show.

Cuban has shared some of the details of his conversation with Mat Ishbia. He warned the Suns owner about his all-in approach. Mark Cuban also told him how running an NBA team is far different than running a personal business. It was a combination of constructive criticism and some honest feedback to a first-time owner.

The great thing about Mat Ishbia is that he takes none of the things to heart. Rather, his approach is to steal something from each owner he interacts with. “What you find is you’re like, okay, he’s really great at this, let me steal some wisdom. And this guy’s really great at something different, let me steal some wisdom. And so I built some great relationships, and you know what you learn? Just like, I’m always learning, I’m always getting better,” he shared with Green.

But the one thing he won’t change is his principles. With the Suns, Ishbia wants to reach the community and serve the fans. He only has one suggestion for those against that policy.

Matt Ishbia sends a stern message to Suns minority owners

Mat Ishbia, facing an internal lawsuit, didn’t change how he views his mission with the Suns. He’s made some decisions that aren’t inspired by financial gain. The Suns offer $2 meal packages at home games and Ishbia has also announced free broadcasting of Suns and Mercury games.

His vision is to do right by the fans. He believes “Money follows success,” and not the other way around. That includes Ishbia going up to fans, creating a connection, and doing everything to make sure they have the best experience. That hasn’t been a popular approach among the other minority owners. It doesn’t prioritize any monetary gain, although the Suns’ valuation has increased since Ishbia took over the team.

With that in mind, he sent a message to those owners against his ways.

“And by the way, those guys, not that we don’t want to talk about those losers, no disrespect, but screw them. Like those guys, they can sell if they want. Go ahead. Like nothing holds them back. People like to just create negative media and create stuff, but we’re going to always do the right thing in Phoenix. I love having that power to be able to do the right thing by our fans and by our community,” Ishbia shared.

Under his ownership, the culture in Phoenix is starting to show great improvement. The team is performing well, having won eight of their last ten games. Fans are also selling out their home arena, displaying great dedication towards the team. That’s the kind of atmosphere Mat Ishbia wants to build. To him, ownership isn’t about just making money. It’s more about creating an engaging community by doing the right things.

No matter what happens, Ishbia won’t stop chasing perfection in that area.