Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has revealed just how close he came to taking on a coaching job with the Phoenix Suns last year. The Suns are owned by Mat Ishbia, who was part of Michigan State’s 2000 NCAA Tournament championship team under Izzo.
Izzo, who hails from Michigan, has been the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans since 1995. Ishbia, who is also a Michigan native, went into business following his college basketball career.
Tom Izzo Reveals Talks With Phoenix Suns Over Coaching Job
The Phoenix Suns parted ways with Mike Budenholzer last year after a disappointing 36–46 season. A number of big-name coaches were linked with the Suns’ head coaching job, but Jordan Ott ultimately got the job.
Izzo, who shares close ties with Suns owner Ishbia, has now revealed that he was also in talks for the job. On Wednesday, Izzo appeared on the “Dan Patrick Show,” where he spoke about interest from the Phoenix Suns.
Michigan State HC Tom Izzo reveals he was in talks with the Phoenix #Suns:
“I’ve had more than a couple job offers in the NBA, looked at one last year with Phoenix – my former player Mat Ishbia. That was hard, that was a hard thing to turn down… we talked seriously about it.” pic.twitter.com/kjSIJreIWz
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) April 1, 2026
“I’ve had more than a couple job offers in the NBA, looked at one last year with Phoenix – my former player Mat Ishbia. That was hard, that was a hard thing to turn down… we talked seriously about it, let’s say that,” he said.
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The 71-year-old gave two reasons for wanting to leave college basketball and coach in the NBA.
“Number one, I kinda wanted to go with him. Number two, I’ve been pretty vocal about it, I don’t like what’s going on in college athletics. By the way, neither do 99.8% of the football and basketball coaches in America,” he added.
After a possible move to the Suns fell through, Izzo received a salary bump in his contract with the Michigan State Spartans.
This is not the first time Izzo has attracted interest from the NBA. In the past, he has been linked with coaching roles at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks.
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Izzo, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, led the Michigan State Spartans to the Sweet 16 of the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament this year.
The Spartans’ season concluded with a 63-67 loss to the UConn Huskies. The program finished second in the Big Ten Conference and had an overall win-loss record of 27-8.
This was Izzo’s 31st season with Michigan State. He is the winningest coach in Big Ten history, with an overall record of 764–309.
