Sports
Suns owner Mat Ishbia blasts teams for 'ridiculous' tanking 'done by losers'
Jan 29, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia against the Detroit Pistons in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia is sickened by teams tanking games to try to improve their draft position, calling it “ridiculous,” “losing behavior done by losers” and “much worse than any prop bet scandal” in a social media post on Thursday.
Ishbia linked his tweet to a Yahoo Sports story posted on X about tanking in the league. While not new, the so-called strategy came back to the forefront when commissioner Adam Silver spoke last weekend about its prevalence after the Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers were docked $100,000 last week.
“This is ridiculous! Tanking is losing behavior done by losers,” Ishbia wrote on his X account. “Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations.
“And the talk about this as a “strategy” is ridiculous,” he continued. “If you are a bad team, you get a good pick. That makes sense. But purposely shutting down players and purposely losing games is a disgrace and impacts the integrity of whole league. This is much worse than any prop bet scandal. This is throwing games strategically.”
This is ridiculous! Tanking is losing behavior done by losers. Purposely losing is something nobody should want to be associated with. Embarrassing for the league and for the organizations. And the talk about this as a “strategy” is ridiculous.
If you are a bad team, you get a… https://t.co/VoUx3YEdB5
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) February 19, 2026
Ishbia completed his purchase of the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury from Robert Sarver in February 2023 for $4 billion.
Phoenix does not control its own first-round draft pick until 2032 because of trades made since 2023, meaning the Suns cannot benefit from losing games intentionally.
“Horrible for fans that pay to watch and cheer on their team. And horrible for all the real teams that are competing for playoff spots,” wrote Ishbia, who played guard at Michigan State, appearing in 48 games (one start) from 1999-2002, including the 2000 national championship season
Silver said on Saturday during the All-Star Weekend in Inglewood, Calif., that teams’ blatant approach to tanking is worse than he’s seen in recent memory.
“Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice,” Silver said.
The Jazz were fined for limiting the court time of two of their best players, while the Pacers were penalized for roster manipulation that kept three starters from a recent game.
Silver says the league could impose additional penalties, up to and including the forfeiture of the teams’ draft picks.
“I think we’re coming at it in two ways,” Silver said. “One is, again, focusing on the here and now, the behavior we’re seeing from our teams and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans and to their partner teams. But No. 2 … the competition committee started earlier this year re-examining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works.”
Ishbia, in his post, said he is confident that Silver will fix the problem with massive changes.
“Those of us in a position of influence need to speak out,” Ishbia wrote. “… the only “strategy” is doing right by fans, players, and the NBA community.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians pitchers plead not guilty in pitch-rigging case
Jul 22, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts after a win over the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images A scheduled spring trial for Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz accused of colluding with sports bettors on an alleged pitch-rigging scheme likely will be postponed until October.
U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto said she ultimately will move the trial to the fall after Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty through a translator to a rewritten indictment on Wednesday in a Brooklyn federal court.
The parties were instructed to discuss a new trial date and submit their proposal by end of day Monday.
As it stands, the trial date remains slated for May 4.
The rewritten indictment accused Clase of using code words related to roosters and chickens when dealing with co-conspirators. It also alleged that Clase rigged a pitch to the first batter he faced — Detroit’s Matt Vierling — in Game 1 of the 2024 American League Division Series. He bounced that pitch before striking out Vierling.
Clase and Ortiz, who are free on bail, were indicted on charges including wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery on Nov. 9.
Ortiz pled not guilty the next day while Clase was taken into custody Nov. 13 at JFK Airport in New York, pleading not guilty that same day.
The prosecution alleged that Clase and Ortiz accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help a pair of gamblers in their native country of the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 placed on the speed of their pitches and whether they will be strikes or balls.
Clase, 27, is a two-time AL Reliever of the Year and a three-time All-Star. He has 21-26 record with a 1.88 ERA and 182 saves over six seasons, the last five of which came while pitching for the Guardians.
Ortiz, 27, was traded to Cleveland ahead of the 2025 season. He has a 4.05 ERA over 75 appearances (50 starts) spanning four major league seasons.
Both pitchers have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Freestyle skiing halfpipe, aerial events postponed at Olympics
Feb 19, 2026; Bormio, Italy; Workers clear snow from the course before the women’s ski mountaineering final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Stelvio Ski Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Freestyle skiing halfpipe and aerial events were postponed at the Winter Olympics on Thursday because of heavy snow in Livigno, Italy.
The men’s aerials qualifiers and final were rescheduled for Friday morning, with the men’s halfpipe qualification beginning about an hour after the aerials conclude.
The aerial finals are scheduled for Saturday night, the final full day of competition at the Milan Cortina Games.
At the biathlon course in Anterselva, both men and women trained simultaneously for the mass start competition with heavy snow expected there later Friday.
“Snow is an occupational hazard of winter sports,” International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said at a news conference.
“They are well used to dealing with delays, changes and bad weather … We are used to it, the federations are used to it. It is something we have to work with, unfortunately,” he said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Speed skater Jordan Stolz denied 3rd gold medal, takes silver in 1500m
Jordan Stolz of the United States won the silver medal in the men’s 1500m speed skating event Thursday at the Winter Olympics in Milan. MILAN — China’s Ning Zhongyan won the men’s 1,500 meters at the Winter Olympics on Thursday, denying American Jordan Stolz of his third speed skating gold medal of these Games.
Stolz claimed silver, while two-time defending Olympic 1,500m champion Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands secured bronze to round out a high-caliber podium.
Stolz entered the event as the overwhelming favorite after record-breaking victories in both the 1,000m and 500m. He was undefeated in the 1,500m this season.
But the field was stacked with heavyweights, including Nuis, the 1,500m world record holder; newly crowned 5,000m Olympic champion Sander Eitrem; 10,000m gold medalist Metodej Jilek; as well as Dutchman Joep Wennemars and Poland’s Vladimir Semirunniy.
But Ning, 26, already buoyed by two bronzes at the Milan Cortina Games in the men’s 1,000m and the team pursuit, had other plans.
Skating in the 13th of 15 pairs, Ning started in the inner lane alongside Nuis. On a remarkable day for the distance, the Olympic record fell twice: first to Wennemars in the 11th pair, and then to Ning, who obliterated the new mark moments later.
He stopped the clock at 1 minute, 41.98 seconds, finishing 0.77 seconds ahead of Stolz.
With Ning’s triumph, China now holds three gold medals at these Games, following Mengtao Xu’s victory in the women’s freestyle skiing aerials and Yiming Su’s win in the men’s snowboard slopestyle.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Guardians pitchers plead not guilty in pitch-rigging case
Freestyle skiing halfpipe, aerial events postponed at Olympics
