Gregory was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1999 to 2003, which was the same time that Ishbia was a walk-on guard for the Spartans.

Phoenix's Brian Gregory, who was elevated to the GM role last week, believes his closeness with owner Mat Ishbia will be an asset as the Suns embark on a difficult rebuild following one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

Brian Gregory’s basketball resume has plenty of gravitas thanks to nearly two decades as an NCAA Division I head coach at Dayton, Georgia Tech and South Florida