Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) posts up Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham (2) during a preseason NBA game at the Breslin Center on Oct. 8, 2024.
For the first time in six years, Breslin Center at Michigan State hosted an NBA preseason game Tuesday.
The Detroit Pistons played an exhibition against the Phoenix Suns in a packed arena usually home to MSU basketball, with the Suns winning a close contest, 105-97.
"I thought the crowd was awesome tonight and both sides of fans really seemed to enjoy the game," Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said postgame. "It was a high-level game and whenever you are playing in that type of atmosphere it raises your energy a bit."
Suns superstar Kevin Durant led Phoenix with 21 points in just 19 minutes. Detroit's third-year center Jalen Duren posted a team-high 17 points in 23 minutes.
Many notable people were in attendance, including men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo and his team, Mat and Justin Ishbia – the brothers who helped orchestrate the event – and the 200 students who won a raffle and wore purple “The Sunzzone” shirts.
"It's great to play at Michigan State," Phoenix head coach Mike Budenholzer said postgame. "There are so many connections here from our organization to the university and particularly to the basketball program. What Coach Izzo has done here, just a lot of respect for him and his program."
Mat Ishbia, the Suns' owner, played on the 2000 MSU men’s basketball team that won the national title under Izzo.
The game was a win-win situation for fans, specifically MSU students. Many of them got to see the team they grew up watching while also laying eyes on NBA All-Stars Durant and Suns guard Devin Booker.
Booker, who grew up 45 minutes from East Lansing in Grand Rapids, had a homecoming of sorts Tuesday night. The four-time NBA All-Star and one-year Kentucky Wildcat said he nearly committed to MSU on The BackYard Podcast in August, praising his relationship with Izzo.
Tuesday morning, Booker gifted Izzo and the entire men's basketball team custom MSU Nike shoes.
Devin Booker’s new Michigan State Spartans Nike Book 1 PE 💪 @DevinBook pic.twitter.com/VnCQGrloyw
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) October 8, 2024
Mechanical engineering sophomore Utku Cetim is a huge NBA fan and impatiently waited for the tickets to come out once he heard about the game. Though he was most excited to see Durant, Cetim said he’d love to watch other teams play at Breslin.
“If there’s more games here in the future, I’ll be here every single day,” Cetim said.
Human biology freshman Darrah Mackenzie won a raffle ticket and attended the game with the MSU club basketball team. She grew up a Pistons fan, but was most excited to see Durant.
With 11 All-NBA nominations, an MVP and two NBA Finals MVPs, Durant was the star of the show. Cheers showered down on the future Hall of Famer when he was introduced and every time he scored.
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Maris Kazmers, a former MSU medical school professor and longtime Pistons fan, was excited to see how the Suns and Pistons are shaping up ahead of the season with both teams entering the first year of a head coaching tenure. Detroit has struggled mightily in recent years and Phoenix is looking to return to the postseason for the fifth straight season.
“I’m hoping (the Pistons) are going to follow the other Detroit teams – the Lions and Tigers – with the success they’ve had,” Kazmers said. “So hopefully they can turn it around this year.”
Kazmers liked that Mat Ishbia brought Phoenix to Breslin Center because it was a “little celebration of his success.”
With the Ishbia family's connection to the Suns and Michigan State, Tuesday could be a sign of more exhibitions to be played at Breslin. Such games attract diverse audiences and fanbases while offering students and locals a chance to cheer on a non-MSU team.
