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Suns owner Ishbia claims won’t measure team’s success on wins and losses in 2025

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 7:27 PM ET

GLENDALE – Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia had his first opportunity to speak at the team’s media day about the team’s expectations for the 2025-2026 season, with fans scratching their heads on what he said. When asked about what he hopes about next year’s team, Ishbia wants to win more games than last year, but won’t measure the team’s success on wins and losses for this season.

Ishbia on what’ll make 2025-2026 season successful for Suns:

“I hope that we win more games than we won last year, but the truth is, it's not going to be measured in wins and losses this year, but it is going to be measured in success.”

– Mat Ishbia on the Suns

(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )

pic.twitter.com/cvu4AV7FWO

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 24, 2025

Ishbia wants a team that the fans can be proud of, and he sees that possibly be setting a culture for the franchise. The quick fixes of trading for established talent over his two-year stint as owner has led to minimal success. The 45-year-old acknowledged this problem at last year’s end-of-season press conference, by stating that changes were coming.

That led to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal being traded or waived off the team. Losing two All-Star players will likely tank the team’s expectations and talent for next year, and Ishbia seems to be aware of that by not worrying about wins or losses.

The goal for the 2025-2026 season for Ishbia and the team is to build a culture, a foundation that represents the fans and the community. The first two years has failed to achieve that goal, but the Suns hope that the new trio of Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks is that answer.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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