Michigan State coach Tom Izzo revealed Wednesday that he had been in talks with the Phoenix Suns about taking the team’s open head coaching job ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Izzo just completed his 31st year at Michigan State as the Spartans lost to UConn in the Sweet 16 on Friday. In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, he said that he had been discussing the Suns job with team owner and former Michigan State basketball player Mat Ishbia.

“I’ve had more than a couple job offers in the NBA, and look, that one last year with Phoenix, you know, my former player Mat Ishbia,” Izzo said. “And that was hard. That was a hard thing to turn down because number one, I kind of wanted to go with him, number two …”

Patrick then interjected and asked if Izzo had been offered the job in Phoenix.

“We talked seriously about it, let’s say that,” Izzo continued. “And then number two is, I’ve been pretty vocal about it — I don’t like what’s going on in college athletics. By the way, neither do 99.98% of the football and basketball coaches in America. And I think the kids are still going to find out before it’s done it’s not best for them, either.”

Phoenix is on its fourth coach in four seasons after hiring former Cavaliers and Lakers assistant Jordon Ott for the 2025-26 season. Former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer led the team to a 36-46 record in 2024-25 as Phoenix scuffled with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker on the roster. His lone season in Phoenix came after former Lakers coach Frank Vogel was in charge the season before as Phoenix won 49 games in the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. 

Durant is now in Houston after he was traded to the Rockets and Beal joined the Los Angeles Clippers after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Suns. And the Suns are already six wins better than they were a season ago at 42-34 with six games remaining in the regular season.

Discussions surrounding Izzo’s potential move to Phoenix came roughly 15 years after he almost left Michigan State for the NBA. In 2010, Izzo also had discussions with a Michigan State alum and NBA owner as Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert had offered him the team’s head coaching job.

But Izzo turned down that job in June of that year and said one of the big factors in remaining at Michigan State was his inability to talk with LeBron James. 

James, a free agent after the 2010 season, infamously made his choice to leave Cleveland for Miami in his televised special “The Decision” less than a month after Izzo said no to Cleveland.