Nikola Jokic received a technical foul during the first half of Game 4 against the Suns after an incident along the baseline with Phoenix’s new owner, Mat Ishbia.
After Suns forward Josh Okogie wound up in the seats following a play along the baseline, Jokic could be seen making contact with Ishbia while trying to retrieve the ball from the Suns owner. Ishbia appeared to play into the contact, falling backwards into his seat, which generated a strong reaction from those seated nearby.
The officials reviewed the play after things settled down, ultimately deciding to issue a technical foul to Jokic.
NBA Twitter was in disbelief over the antics of the 43-year-old owner, with many deeming Ishbia to have flopped during the altercation with the Nuggets center.
Phoenix Suns Owner Mat Ishbia getting into it with Jokic and selling the chicken wing. Absolute cinema.https://t.co/pU9Em4dJRC pic.twitter.com/AOZY5ZZPnv
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 8, 2023
Wow this is a whole new level of New Owner Syndrome. Ishbia!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 8, 2023
Jokic just tried to rip the ball out of hands of new Suns owner, then gave him a shove. Mat Ishbia played for Izzo at Michigan State. Jokic correctly gets a tech.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 8, 2023
Ishbia’s a dawg
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 8, 2023
The Suns owner flopping is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 8, 2023
Great flop by Mat Ishbia to draw the foul pic.twitter.com/oFCMKSyfjF
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 8, 2023
Mark Cuban would have been on the ground calling for the paramedics.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 8, 2023
This is actually the most any sports owner has ever done to help their team win
— Brian (@BrianJNBA) May 8, 2023
Ishbia purchased controlling stakes in both the Suns and Mercury earlier this year, and he’s already making quite the impact both on and off the court in Phoenix.
