Izzo 'talked seriously' with Ishbia about Suns' head coaching job

A familiar face nearly convinced Tom Izzo to make the jump to the NBA.

The longtime Michigan State bench boss revealed Wednesday that he spoke with Phoenix Suns owner and former Spartans guard Mat Ishbia about becoming the Suns' head coach before the team hired Jordan Ott in June 2025.

"I've had more than a couple job offers in the NBA and looked at one last year with Phoenix ... my former player, Mat Ishbia. That was hard, that was a hard thing to turn down," Izzo said on "The Dan Patrick Show." "Because No. 1, I wanted to go with him."

When Patrick asked whether Phoenix had offered the job, Izzo kept his response vague.

"We talked seriously about it, let's say that," Izzo said.

The decision appears to have benefited both Izzo and Ott, with the latter beating out fellow Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant to secure his first NBA head coaching position. Having previously worked under Izzo at Michigan State from 2008-13, Ott has the Suns sitting in seventh in the Western Conference at 42-34 this season.

Meanwhile, Izzo is fresh off a sixth straight March Madness and 28th NCAA Tournament overall. He almost certainly would have made it 29 straight had the 2020 tournament not been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Izzo and Ishbia's history dates back to Ishbia's 1999-00 freshman season, when he joined the Spartans as a walk-on point guard on the national championship team. Though he played sparingly throughout his college career, Ishbia appeared in 48 games over three years under Izzo, including one start as a junior.

A 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Izzo has occasionally been linked to NBA coaching positions throughout his 31-year tenure at Michigan State. In June 2010, he revealed he turned down the Cleveland Cavaliers, citing LeBron James' impending free agency as a significant factor. A month later, James announced on "The Decision" that he was leaving his hometown team and taking his talents to South Beach.