Jordan Ott, the Phoenix Suns' fourth head coach in the franchise's four years under new majority owner Mat Ishbia, recently got frisky at his introductory team press conference on Tuesday.
Ott had been one of two finalists for the role, and he ultimately beat out fellow Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Johnnie Bryant.
At least 15 coaches had interviewed for the gig, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
In 2023, Ishbia first canned Monty Williams soon after the ink dried on his deal to purchase the franchise from embattled former owner Robert Sarver, after the Suns fell in a six-game second round playoff series loss to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Ishbia's Suns have since cycled through Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer in one-and-done stints.
Ott, like Ishbia and newly-promoted general manager Brian Gregory, is a Michigan State alum.
Per HoopsHype, Ott defended his aptitude for the gig, beyond his MSU ties.
The drama started with the inquiry from an attendant reporter.
"There's been some jokes that they might rename the franchise 'the Phoenix Spartans' with all the Michigan State ties, I was just wondering from your perspective how much that connection meant with Brian, with Mat, and what you think that brings to the table," the reporter inquired.
Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott during an introductory press conference
Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott during an introductory press conference
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The question put Ott on his heels immediately, and he clapped back to questions of MSU favoritism, emphasizing his own bona fides in the process.
"So I'll say it like this: I've earned the right to be here. I've spent 20 years of working as hard as I possibly can to be here in this spot. I've been around great people, great coaches, great players, to allow me to grow, put me in tough spots to see if I can get better," Ott said. "So I know I've earned this opportunity."
"I'm gonna work as hard as I can from here on out to prove that I am here for the right reasons and I've earned this opportunity, so that excites me," Ott concluded.
The NBA world has now weighed in Ott's statement.
Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian, a Portland Trail Blazers beat reporter, felt that Ott was too quick to lash out at his perceived critics.
"He answered the question defensively when the question didn’t attack his qualifications," Fentress wrote.
In an X world of cascading clapbacks, Fentress' thesis was itself questioned by fan @TheSportsGuy60.
"Incorrect, Aaron," wrote @The SportsGuy60. "That question is a type of question that we see and hear from the media much too often: irrelevance. The inference made with it is that Ott got the job because of his MSU ties, but the media member asking the question was too chickens--- to say that."
Others, meanwhile, were concerned about the 40-year-old Ott's intensely defensive response.
"Ishbia had all those guys and this was his choice? Holy s---," wrote @RaskinsThe.
Prior to his Cavaliers tenure under head coach Kenny Atkinson, Ott enjoyed stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers from 2013-24.
"Bizarre answer to this question," opined @FutureMagicGM.