Suns’ Ishbia, D-backs’ Kendrick among richest people in Arizona in 2023, per Forbes
May 28, 2023, 12:30 PM | Updated: 12:41 pm
Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia was among a handful of Valley sports owners to make Forbes’ annual list of world billionaires.
Ishbia topped the list for those with ties to the Grand Canyon State with a net worth of $5.4 billion, the 468th richest person in the world.
He is the CEO of Michigan-based mortgage lender United Wholesale Mortgage. He agreed to buy the Suns in December and was approved in February.
His brother, Justin Ishbia, also made the cut with a $2.3 billion net worth. He is also a shareholder with the Suns and Mercury and came in at No. 1,312.
Jahm Najafi, a Suns minority owner, came in at a $1.3 billion valuation, No. 2,133.
Tucson-born Arte Moreno had a $4.1 billion net worth, No. 679 on the list. The Valley resident owns the Los Angeles Angels, which he bought in 2003 for $184 million and is now worth about $2 billion, according to Forbes.
Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick cracked the list with a $1 billion valuation at No. 2,540.
The richest American sports team owner on the list was Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers at $80.7 billion, No. 10.
In total, Arizona had 12 individuals make the list of 2,640 billionaires.
France’s Bernard Arnault and family, which oversees the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands such as Louis Vuitton and Sephora, jumped into the top spot with a fortune of $211 billion.