Veteran Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo disclosed that he came very close to accepting the head coaching position with the Phoenix Suns during the previous offseason, revealing the difficult decision involved his former player Mat Ishbia, who owns the NBA team.
The 71-year-old coach shared these details during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” this Wednesday while discussing his past opportunities to coach in the professional ranks.
“I was a lot younger, but I have (had) more than a couple of job offers in the NBA and looked at one last year with Phoenix,” Izzo explained during the interview.
“My former player, Mat Ishbia — that was hard. That was a hard thing to turn down because … I kind of wanted to go with him.”
Ishbia played as a walk-on guard for the Spartans, participating in 48 games across three seasons from 1999 to 2002 and contributing to Michigan State’s 2000 national championship squad.
When Patrick inquired whether Izzo received a formal offer for the Phoenix position, the coach responded carefully.
“Well, we talked seriously about it, let’s say that,” Izzo stated. “And then No. 2 is, I’ve been pretty vocal about it, I don’t like what’s going on in college athletics, but by the way, neither do 99.98% of the football and basketball coaches in America.”
Instead of Izzo, Ishbia ultimately selected Jordan Ott for the role, who previously served as a video coordinator at Michigan State. Ott spent five seasons working under Izzo before departing following the 2012-13 campaign to join the Atlanta Hawks in a similar capacity.
Under Ott’s leadership, the Suns have compiled a 42-34 record this season and remain competitive for a top-six playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Throughout his three-decade tenure at Michigan State, Izzo has previously weighed NBA opportunities with the Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Atlanta discussions occurred immediately following Michigan State’s 2000 championship victory, while he declined Cleveland’s offer after the Spartans’ 2010 Final Four elimination by Butler.
Izzo’s impressive Michigan State career includes a 764-310 overall record and eight Final Four appearances with the program.
This past season, the Spartans finished 27-8 before falling to UConn in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 round.
The accomplished coach received induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
