If there is one thing the Phoenix Suns have done this season, it is make their fan base proud, and that pride comes from the way they play, the way they compete, and the way they have pushed past expectations in a way that feels honest and earned. As a fan, you feel it. Because the last two seasons trained a lot of us to brace for disappointment, to disengage a little, to skip podcasts you knew would only mirror what you were watching night after night. It was a disconnected team playing disjointed basketball that made even SportsCenter feel pointless because there were no highlights worth sticking around for.
That feeling is gone.
Now the Suns keep rolling out moments that demand attention, sequences that make you sit up, rewind, and send a text. Around the league, respect has followed, not because of hype, but because of how this team operates together. Opposing fan bases see it too, the speed of the turnaround, the clarity of the identity, and more than a few of them wish their team could flip the switch the same way Phoenix has.
Friday night followed the same rhythm, with the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game tipping off and the Phoenix Suns being represented by their owner, Mat Ishbia, lacing them up for Team Anthony. Yes, that Anthony, Anthony Anderson. On the other sideline was Team Giannis, which meant one team had an actual NBA player attached to it and the other was captained by the Burger Shack employee from Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, which honestly felt like a fair snapshot of the entire event.
The word “celebrity” always gets stretched pretty thin in these games, and I will openly admit I did not recognize about three-quarters of the people on the floor, which probably says more about my age and priorities than it does about the lineup. That said, I knew exactly who Mat Ishbia was, and watching him out there ended up being genuinely fun.
His team took the loss, but Ishbia brought energy and leaned into the moment. Mat took the court rocking a pair of Book 2 Fragments, a pair that All-Star guard Devin Booker debuted a few nights ago against the Dallas Mavericks.
He delivered the highlight of the night, a running jumper over 7’6” Tacko Fall (who casually dropped a 20/20 because, of course he did).
If you were searching for the clip that summed up the entire evening, that was the one. The Suns’ owner flying through the lane, letting it go, and reminding everyone that sometimes the most entertaining part of All-Star Weekend comes from the places you least expect.
Oh, and he outrebounded Fall, too.
He was out there playing Phoenix Suns basketball, pressing for 94 feet. Phoenix Suns basketball personified.
Once again, you cannot help but puff your chest out a little. Be proud of the Phoenix Suns fan in you. Mat Ishbia had himself a solid night, throwing behind-the-back passes, jumping passing lanes, and flashing that Michigan State DNA, the kind of edge and competitiveness that still traces back to his time under Tom Izzo and never really leaves you.
Night one, in the books.
Night two brings Devin Booker in the three-point contest. It has not been his best individual season, but it has been a strong year for the Suns, and that matters. Even sitting at +600, that is where I am putting my money. Booker.
And for the record, way to go, Mat Ishbia. Respect.