The NBA is struggling with a big problem right now in the form of tanking. The league inadvertently has rules in place that effectively encourage teams to throw games in hopes of getting a better draft selection.
At a time when the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers have been heavily fined by the league for violating player participation policies, Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishbia is not saying anything about the practice.
"It's an embarrassment, that's totally, my point of view, tanking is a loser mentality. I've never been around anyone. You show me somebody who wants to lose, who thinks about losing, I'll show you a loser, he's a loser, that's not my stuff," Ishbia revealed on The Pat McAfee Show, according to a post by ClutchPoints on X.
"It's a shame. It's terrible. My view is that tanking is a loser mentality. ... I think it's bad for the NBA."
Suns governor Matt Ishbia on the league's tanking issue.
(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/dqK2YShWFf
- ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 25 February 2026
"So I don't like to lose, I don't ever want to talk about losing. We try to win and the draft works, if you don't have a good team, you get a good pick. But if you intentionally trade for players and then don't play them, try to lose games. I think it's bad for the NBA, I think Adam Silver knows it, organizations know it, it's got to change. It will change.
After the 2026 All-Star break, the race to the bottom has become so transparent that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was forced to impose massive financial fines against organizations openly throwing games.
"It's fixable, and credit to Adam Silver. He knows it's a problem, he'll fix it. I believe he'll fix it, but you can't have teams like that...the incentives are misaligned right now," Ishbia declared.
The Utah Jazz were fined a whopping $500,000 for benching healthy stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of highly competitive games against Orlando and Miami. Shortly afterward, the Indiana Pacers were fined $100,000 for resting Pascal Siakam and two other starters in violation of the league's player participation policy.
Ishbia's statements indicate that at least some owners in the NBA value competition above all else, even if it proves detrimental due to NBA rules.
