Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia just pulled in Kevin Durant: What is his net worth and future plans for the team?
Mat Ishbia was just approved as the Phoenix Suns' new majority owner on Tuesday. Less than 48 hours later, Ishbia and the Suns pulled off the acquisition of Kevin Durant. What is Ishbia's net worth and what are his future plans for the Suns?
Bloomberg estimates Ishbia's current net worth at around $5.59 million. However, other outlets have his net worth as high as $11 billion. He's the current president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, the top mortgage lender in the United States.
The Michigan State product made a bid of $4 billion to buy the Suns from disgraced owner Robert Sarver in December. Sarver accepted the deal and the NBA approved the sale on Monday, with Ishbia addressing the entire Phoenix organization a day later.
Mat Ishbia told team officials and employees that before he makes changes, he wants to listen to everyone. Ishbia also wants to create a positive environment given how Sarver treated his workers.
"I want to make this the best place to work," Ishbia said. "I want to get great people to join. I want to train them and coach them to be the best version of themselves and treat them so well that they don't ever want to leave."
He added:
"It's all about people. People is everything. That's the most important thing. Without great people, without people that care, you've got nothing. So we're going to start with culture and team."
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Mat Ishbia pulls off Kevin Durant trade
Mat Ishbia has been the majority owner of the Phoenix Suns for less than 48 hours, but has already pulled off one of the biggest trades in NBA history. The Suns acquired Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the trade deadline.
As per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns are sending Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and Cam Johnson to the Nets. They are also trading four unprotected first-round picks and additional draft compensation in exchange for Durant and T.J. Warren.
Ishbia told Suns employees on Tuesday during his introductory press conference that he will prioritize winning. With Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix could be among the favorites to come out of the Western Conference and win the championship.
"We're going to win together, we're going to lose together," Ishbia said. "As a team, and we're going to be a family. We're going to take care of each other. We're going to care about each other."
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