Suns Owner Gets Special Shoutout During NFL Hall of Fame Speech

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia not only was in attendance for Antonio Gates' Hall of Fame induction over the weekend - he was name-dropped in his speech.

Gates - speaking to the crowd in Canton donning the coveted gold jacket - offered the following, which included the Ishbia family during his ode to Detroit:

"To the city of Detroit, what up though. You taught me pride, you taught me how to fight through everything and never quit. That blue collar spirit, the heartbeat of the city, it lives in me, it always has. I remember growing up in the streets of Detroit and we would use crates and play basketball, and we would cut the bottom out for hoops and I would play with my boy Gary Morris or Dwight Smith, or my boy Leon Bryan. He would take me to the University of Detroit and we would watch high school basketball at Callahan Hall. Or a friend of mine named Mat Ishbia or his dad Jeff, would come pick me up and take me to AAU practices. Shoutout to the Michigan Mustangs.

"My point is that Detroit, you helped shaped my dreams so when I would play in these NFL stadiums, I always felt like I had to represent the block that I came from. Shoutout to Lynwood, Dexter, Pearton Avenue, this one is for us. West side of Detroit, this is for us."

Gates initially committed to playing football and basketball at Michigan State University - where Ishbia famously also attended. Gates ultimately transferred to Eastern Michigan then Kent State before turning pro.

Perhaps there's some sort of role waiting for Gates in Phoenix given the Suns' recent track record of hiring Spartans.