Suns owner Mat Ishbia backs Devin Booker, calls out refs: ‘Not a good look’ for NBA

The Suns are not backing off this one.

Owner Mat Ishbia took to X on Thursday to publicly support Devin Booker, doubling down on the team’s frustration with officiating after Game 2 in Oklahoma City.

“I am 100% behind Devin Booker here,” Ishbia wrote. “Last night was not a good look for our league.”

That sets the tone. It didn’t stop there.

Ishbia made it clear he was not blaming the loss on the referees. The Suns fell 120-107 and now trail 2-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, he said the bigger issue is respect and accountability.

“If the referees are going to demand respect from the players, as they should, then the players should demand respect from the referees,” Ishbia added. “When a referee is missing calls and clearly disrespecting the players, almost mocking them, they must be held accountable.”

That is a strong statement coming from ownership.

Booker, who rarely criticizes officials publicly, voiced frustration after the loss, calling the situation “bad” and admitting it was the first time in his career he felt the need to speak out. He even acknowledged a fine could be coming.

Dillon Brooks took it even further, suggesting reporters should be interviewing referees after games and saying the whistles felt one-sided.

Now the Suns have their owner echoing those concerns.

“Nobody who loves this game enjoyed watching that last night,” Ishbia wrote. “They want to see the players compete at the highest level. The league needs to be far more aggressive about this kind of thing.”

Meanwhile, the Thunder just keep rolling. They have controlled both games, dictated the pace and taken a firm 2-0 lead behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Game 3 is coming. The series already had stakes. Now it has some real edge too.