Michigan State Athletics Receive Major Gift from Alum
The Michigan State Spartans’ athletics department has many rich alumni who are always happy to give back to the Green and White.
Another example has occurred, as former Spartans Kristen and Justin Ishbia have donated $10 million to the athletic department.
According to Michigan State University, the donation includes more than $8 million for the basketball and baseball programs, while the rest goes towards previous Name, Image, and Likeness payments.
Ishbia is the brother of former Michigan State basketball walk-on and current Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia. He is also a part-owner of the professional basketball teams and owns a share in his brothers’ insurance company, United Wholesale Mortgage.
Justin is the founder of a private equity firm called Shore Capital Partners as well, along with being a minority owner of Nashville SC, a Major League Soccer team.
Ishbia deeply loves baseball, which is a major part of the gift. The donation will upgrade the university’s baseball facilities and rename the field to "Jeff Ishbia Field," named after Justin’s father.
According to the release, the rest of the gift will support the Men’s Basketball Excellence Fund. This is another lucrative gift from a rich Spartan alum that goes towards expanding and improving Michigan State athletics.
Justin’s wife, Kristen, graduated from Michigan State in 2008 with a degree in Kinesiology.
In recent years, the Spartans have been looking to expand their NIL programs as the idea of paying collegiate athletes has grown, and this is major for several Spartan athletic programs.
Michigan State can use this money to improve on recruiting and developing the athletes already in the building.
The basketball program is in a tough battle with a few other programs for five-star guard Jalen Haralson. The phenom from Fishers, Ind., visited the basketball team’s ‘Grind Week,’ a week for basketball alumni to return to see Coach Tom Izzo and coach up current players.
Improved NIL resources could be major in the pursuit of Haralson.
The baseball program has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2012. Improvements to facilities could attract more recruits and help develop players, making the program more successful.
This donation from some of Michigan State’s richest alumni is another example of former Spartans wanting to give back to their alma mater.
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CARTER LANDIS