Josh Bartelstein: 'We’re Going to Try a Million Things' to Build the Best Franchise in Sports

Josh Bartelstein, CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, who was appointed shortly after Mat Ishbia became the owner, shared his vision for the future of basketball in Arizona during a press conference. This event introduced the Valley Suns G-League team’s new home at Mullett Arena in downtown Tempe.

Bartelstein noted, “We’re going to throw a million things out here, try new ticketing techniques, new partnership techniques, new marketing techniques, it’s all about trying things out so we can do the best franchise in sports. It will all be taking place right here.”

Before becoming CEO of the Suns, Bartelstein was an assistant General Manager for the Detroit Pistons, where he played a significant role in the development of the Pistons Performance Center.

Since joining Ishbia in the Valley, Bartelstein has helped bring the WNBA All-Star Game to Phoenix in 2024, the NBA All-Star Game to Phoenix in 2027, and has been a part of a front office that has brought in a tremendous amount of new talent to the Suns.

Explaining why establishing a G-League team was a priority, Bartelstein mentioned current Suns players who were once part of the system, including Grayson Allen (2018-2019), (2019-2020), and Damion Lee (2016-2019).

Bartelstein emphasized that both injured players and those not receiving much playing time will have the opportunity to stay on the court through the Suns’ new G-League team, providing a significant advantage.

When asked if the deal with Mullett Arena was just a one-year arrangement, Bartelstein declared it as the team’s home, indicating no plans to move the Valley Suns anytime soon. He also hinted at “unique sponsors” that have “never been with them before” who will be joining.