PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The owner of the Phoenix Suns is sounding off on multiple other teams reportedly tanking their record to get a better pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia criticized teams that tank for better draft position, calling the practice “losing behavior done by losers” in a social media response to an article ranking teams by their tanking efforts.
“Tanking is losing behavior done by losers. Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with,” Ishbia said on social media.
Ishbia added that tanking is “much worse than any prop bet scandal” and called it “throwing games strategically.”
“This is horrible for fans that pay to watch and cheer on their team,” he said.
This is ridiculous! Tanking is losing behavior done by losers. Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations. And the talk about this as a “strategy” is ridiculous.
If you are a bad team, you get a… https://t.co/VoUx3YEdB5
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) February 19, 2026
Recent fines and league response
The Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers were fined last week for tanking behaviors, paying $500,000 and $100,000 respectively.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that teams prioritizing draft position over winning “undermines the foundation of NBA competition.”
Silver discussed potential changes during last week’s All-Star events, but he did not offer specifics.
“Doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans and to their partner teams,” Silver said. “But number two, as I also said in that statement, the competition committee started earlier this year reexamining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works, and ultimately any changes will require a vote of the board of governors.”
Silver acknowledged that the perception of a deep 2026 draft class compared to weaker future classes is affecting team behavior.
With about two months left in the NBA season, several teams have shut down star players for the remainder of the year to secure better draft picks.
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