Two years after he bought the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, and the WNBA’s Mercury, the youngest owner in the NBA continues to shake things up. Mat Ishbia announced on Wednesday, Dec. 18, a steep discount on the most popular concession items at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.
Prices for hot dogs, bottled water, fountain soda, chips and popcorn went from as high as $9 down to $2.
He announced the discounts, which will run the rest of the NBA season, on the Suns’ social media channels.
“Winning starts with our fans,” Ishbia said. “When I walk the concourse at games there aren’t food options for families who don’t want to spend a lot of money. That needs to change, so today we’re rolling out our $2 value menu for all home Suns games.”
Winning starts with our fans. When I walk the concourse at games there aren’t food options for families who don’t want to spend a lot of money. That needs to change, so today we’re rolling out our $2 value menu for all home @Suns games. pic.twitter.com/BsluNoKD5P
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) December 18, 2024
Ishbia’s post added a bit of math, too.
“A family of 4 used to spend $98 on hot dogs/water/popcorn. Now they can enjoy that same meal for $24,” he said.
Sceptics might call the price drop a marketing or public relations stunt, but Ishbia has often talked about running his franchise, “how fans would want him to.” When the season began, he also made Suns games available to watch on free, over-the-air television.
“I’m focused on being the best owner I can be, do all the things the fans would want, my players would want, my coach, GM, the people that work in the community, I’m all in,” Ishbia told ESPN at the time. “By the way, this isn’t just, ‘hey you’ve owned the team two years, this is how…’ no, no. We’re all in.”
Ishbia, who bought the Suns and Mercury from Robert Sarver for $4 billion in December of 2022, is the CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, the number one overall mortgage lender in the nation.
Additionally, Ishbia said may not be done helping fans return to sporting events without going broke. Bloomberg recently reported that he and his brother Justin, who are worth nearly $15 billion combined, are interested in buying the Minnesota Twins. The baseball team’s current owners are exploring a sale.