"Detroit won't appreciate this" - Tarik Skubal gets honest about his NBA team bias & it's not Pistons

While reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal may be pitching for the Detroit Tigers, it doesn't necessarily mean his loyalty extends to Detroit's NFL and NBA counterparts, the Lions and the Pistons, respectively.

Skubal has been seen attending the games of the Phoenix Suns during the offseason and has even been snapped beside the face of the franchise, Devin Booker. The Suns are based out of Arizona.

Seeing this, it was natural to ask him where his loyalties lie: Detroit or Arizona. During an interview with MLB, Skubal let his loyalty be known, much to the disappointment of Detroit fans.

"Detroit won't appreciate this, but I'm a Suns fan, so I'm sorry," he said.

Interestingly, the Arizona Diamondbacks initially picked Tarik Skubal up in the 29th round of the 2017 MLB draft. However, instead of turning pro, he went back to Seattle to play college baseball. In the following year, he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft.

Tarik Skubal reveals reason behind his loyalty to Phoenix Suns

One of the reasons mentioned by Tarik Skubal for his loyalty toward the Suns is because of Devin Booker, who is the face of the NBA franchise.

As Skubal said, Booker also comes along to watch games in Detroit. Skubal also does the same, attending his NBA games.

"I know he's a big Detroit guy. Yeah, I've seen him at a couple games, never got the chance to meet him," Skubal said of Booker. "I mean, he's obviously the face of our franchise, and I think he has the coolest basketball shoe out right now, too. That’s pretty much all I wear when I work out in the offseason. I think they’re comfortable, I think they’re great."

Skubal, who was born in Hayward, California, but attended high school in Arizona, also recalled his meeting with Booker.

"So yeah, it was cool to meet him," Skubal said. "You know, I’m a big fan of his. I even told him, 'I don’t want this to be weird, but I think I may be your biggest fan.' He just laughed and said, 'You too.' I said, 'I don’t think so.' Yeah, I thought that was a pretty cool experience."

Both Booker and Skubal have been the leaders of their teams for the past couple of seasons. With the MLB season around the corner, let's see if Booker turns up for one of their games.