Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo, center, former MSU players Mateen Cleaves, left, and Jason Richardson greet Izzo during the Michigan State Madness event on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Suns Add Michigan State Great to Staff

Originally posted on Phoenix Suns on SI | By Brendan Mau | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 11:32 AM ET

The Phoenix Suns have hired former Michigan State legend Mateen Cleaves to their player development staff.

Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro first reported the news of Cleaves, who played with Suns owner Mat Ishbia at MSU and under general manager Brian Gregory, who was an assistant coach for the Spartans 25 years ago.

Gambadoro posted on X Thursday:

"Hearing that former NBA veteran Mateen Cleaves will be joining the Suns with a role on the player development staff. Expecting his focus will be on leadership, motivation and overall player development."

Shortly after this news, Cleaves was spotted at Suns summer league practice ahead of the team's first game in Vegas Friday.

Mateen Cleaves in the building.

Lands with Suns in player development.

Cleaves and Suns team owner Mat Ishbia were teammates on Michigan State's 2000 national championship team. #Suns pic.twitter.com/she7Y1KptI
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) July 10, 2025

Cleaves was the 2000 Final Four Most Outstanding player after leading Michigan State to a national championship victory on a team where Ishbia was a walk-on.

He was then selected 14th overall and played with the Detroit Pistons (2000-01), Sacramento Kings (2001-03), Cleveland Cavaliers (2004) and Seattle Supersonics (2004-06), averaging 3.6 points in 167 career NBA games.

Ishbia had previously hired Cleaves as a leadership development coach for his mortgage loan company, United Wholesale Mortgage, a position he has held since Jan. 2019 according to his LinkedIn.

The Suns have been at the end of several jokes because of all the ties to Michigan State within the organization. In addition to Ishbia and Gregory, new head coach Jordan Ott received his master's degree from Michigan State and was on Tom Izzo's staff as a video coordinator from 2008-13.

Dwyane Wade recently joked on his Wy Network podcast that Cleaves would be joining the Suns because of his Michigan State background, but added:

"Mateen is somebody you want in your locker room. He's a winner. You want a winner and you want somebody that can get in somebody's face and tell them like it is. Not somebody who gotta whisper behind (their) back."

“Mateen [Cleaves] is somebody you want in your locker room. He’s a winner.” @DwyaneWade & the fellas call Mateen Cleaves a winner in the locker room. pic.twitter.com/1TqrmJkpDG
— Wy Network by Dwyane Wade (@wynetwork) July 4, 2025

Ott has reportedly hired four other coaches so far on his staff: DeMarre Carroll, Brian Randle, Chaisson Allen and most recently former Magic assistant and Tucson native Jesse Mermuys, which you can read more about by clicking here.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Suns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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