# Kevin Durant misses Mat Ishbia's championship culture point

> Durant claims he rebuilt Suns culture after Ishbia's trade for him.
- Title: Kevin Durant misses Mat Ishbia's championship culture point
- Summary: Durant claims he rebuilt Suns culture after Ishbia's trade for him. Kevin Durant says he brought championship culture to Phoenix Suns despite Mat Ishbia's…
- Keywords: kevin durant, mat ishbia, phoenix suns, nba, championship culture, suns dna, sports, Kevin, Durant, misses, Mat, Ishbia's
- Source: CBS Sports — https://cbssports.com/nba/news/kevin-durant-mat-ishbia-phoenix-suns-championship-culture
- Published: 2026-10-18T14:26:51+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: kevin durant, mat ishbia, phoenix suns, nba, championship culture, suns dna, sports
## Ishbia's CNBC comment
Mat Ishbia said bringing super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn't necessarily lead to championships.

> bringing in super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn't necessarily lead to championships
## Durant's social media response
Kevin Durant posted #blameKD after Ishbia's comments on CNBC.

> #blameKD
## Ishbia's full comments
Ishbia said Suns were 8 or 9 seed when he bought the team in February 2023.

> The team was I think the [No.] 8 or 9 seed [in the Western Conference] when I bought the team
## Ishbia's culture shift
Ishbia traded Kevin Durant and brought in new GM and coach to build Suns DNA.

> After that year, I decided [to] trade Kevin Durant, bring in my [own] GM (Brian Gregory replaced James Jones), bring in a new coach (Jordan Ott replaced Mike Budenholzer)
## Suns DNA players
Ishbia named Dillon Brooks, Jordan Goodwin, Collin Gillespie as Suns DNA players.

> It is Dillon Brooks. It is Jordan Goodwin. It is Collin Gillespie
## Suns performance
Suns won 45 games last year without Durant but missed playoffs with him.

> We made the playoffs. Won 45 games. We're going to build on that
## Durant's performance
Kevin Durant stayed on top of his game at 36 with Suns for two and a half seasons.

> Kevin Durant stayed on top of his game at 36
## Suns before Durant
Suns were West's No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in consecutive seasons before Durant.

> In the two and a half seasons before Durant arrived, the Suns were a model franchise that had made the Finals
## Suns after Durant
Suns lost nearly half their games with Durant and missed playoffs twice.

> In the two and a half years with Durant, they lost nearly half their regular-season games
## Ishbia's lesson
Ishbia learned culture and roster depth matter more than superstars for championships.

> We have to define what we're about in Phoenix, and then stick with it
## Durant's claim
Kevin Durant says he brought championship culture to Suns despite Ishbia's criticism.

> Kevin Durant stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this 'culture' you love so much
## Key takeaway

Kevin Durant says he brought championship culture to Phoenix Suns despite Mat Ishbia's criticism that adding him didn't lead to championships.