Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, competing in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1968, the Suns were the first major professional sports team in Arizona and have a rich history marked by both struggles and success. Over the years, they have achieved significant milestones, including six division titles and two NBA Finals appearances, though they have yet to secure an NBA championship. Notable players in the franchise's history include Charles Barkley, who led the team to the Finals in 1993, and Steve Nash, a two-time MVP known for his exceptional passing and shooting abilities.
The team's home games take place at the Footprint Center, and their colors are purple, orange, black, gray, and yellow. Despite facing challenges in the 2010s, the Suns experienced a resurgence in the early 2020s, returning to playoff contention with a talented roster. Key players like Devin Booker and center Deandre Ayton have played vital roles in revitalizing the franchise. The Suns' unique mascot, the Gorilla, also has an interesting origin story that adds to the team's cultural flair. Overall, the Phoenix Suns represent a blend of historical significance and modern competitiveness in the world of professional basketball.
Phoenix Suns
Team information
- Inaugural season: 1968
- Home arena: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
- Owner: Robert Sarver
- Team colors: Purple, orange, black, gray, and yellow
Overview
The Phoenix Suns is a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Western Conference. The Suns was formed as part of a wave of NBA expansion in the late 1960s and became the first team in any major sport in the state of Arizona. Like most expansion teams, Phoenix got off to a rocky start, but slowly built to become a contender. From 1975 to 2010, the Suns was one of the league’s most consistent teams, winning six division titles and appearing in two NBA Finals. Despite the franchise’s accomplishments, Phoenix has never won an NBA championship. When the team’s run of success ended in 2010, the Suns had the highest winning percentage in NBA history among teams that had not won a title. However, after that success, the team fell on hard times, posting just one winning season by 2020 and failing to make the playoffs.
History
In 1966, the NBA began a decade-long period of expansion that saw its size double from nine teams to eighteen. As part of the first wave of this expansion, the NBA added five new teams from 1966 to 1969. Chicago joined the league in 1966; San Diego and Seattle joined in 1967; and Milwaukee and Phoenix in 1968. The NBA commissioner had originally opposed placing a team in Arizona, believing the market was too small and summertime temperatures too hot for a franchise to thrive. The new team was owned by a group of ten investors that included 1960s music stars Andy Williams, Bobbie Gentry, and Ed Ames. The name Suns was chosen from a fan contest that also suggested Rattlers, Scorpions, Thunderbirds, and Tumbleweeds. The team logo of a basketball giving off sun-like rays was developed by the owner of a Tucson printing plant after franchise officials rejected the contracted submission by a local artist. In 1992, the logo was reimagined against a purple background with the team name placed below. A modernized version with a black background was developed in 2013.
The Suns began play like most expansion teams with a lackluster first season. Phoenix won just sixteen games in 1968–1969 before improving to thirty-nine wins the following year and making the playoffs. The franchise posted winning seasons in both 1970–1971 and 1971–1972, but missed out on the postseason both times. During the 1975–1976 season, Phoenix went on an unlikely run to the playoffs and an eventual berth in the NBA Finals. The Suns finished the regular season an uninspiring 42–40, but knocked off the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs to reach the Finals. With the series against the Boston Celtics tied 2–2, the teams squared off in an epic Game 5 that is considered to be one of the best games in NBA history. The Suns twice tied the game on last-second shots to force three overtimes, before finally losing 128–126. Boston would go on to win the series in six games.
While the team missed the playoffs the next season, from 1977 to 1985 Phoenix would make eight straight playoff appearances and two Western Conference Finals. On a strange side note from this time, the team gained an iconic mascot in 1980 when a singing telegram failed to be delivered during a game. That January, a young man dressed in a gorilla costume was hired to deliver the telegram, but the usher who was supposed to accompany him on the court forgot. Unsure of what to do, the gorilla tried to sneak away on court during a timeout. Suns security suggested he stay and entertain the crowd, and the gorilla complied by dancing at the free-throw line. Fans loved the act, and soon, the team invited the gorilla back, eventually making him an official mascot. The original Phoenix Suns Gorilla gave up the job in 1988, but other performers have kept the tradition since.
After the Suns’ fortunes took a brief downturn in the late 1980s, Phoenix began a run of thirteen straight playoffs appearances from 1989 to 2001. The Suns made back-to-back Western Conference Finals in 1989 and 1990 and capped off 1992–1993 with a trip to the NBA Finals. The team’s success that season was fueled by the acquisition of All-Star forward Charles Barkley from Philadelphia. Barkley led Phoenix to a franchise record sixty-two wins and won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Unfortunately for the Suns, their NBA Finals appearance occurred during the heyday of the Michal Jordan-led Chicago Bulls’ dynasty. Phoenix lost the series to Chicago in six games.
The Suns playoff streak ended in 2002, and after a first-round ouster in 2003, the team again missed the postseason in 2004. Prior to the 2004–2005 season, the Suns made another key offseason move to reenergize the franchise, signing All-Star guard Steve Nash to a free agent deal. With Nash leading the offense, Phoenix made back-to-back Western Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006. Nash was also named NBA MVP both seasons. After two more postseason appearances in 2007 and 2008, the Suns returned to the Western Conference Finals in 2010, falling to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2010–2011 season began the leanest stretch in franchise history, as the Suns went nine years without making the playoffs. The previous team high had been five. Other than the 2013–2014 season, Phoenix finished at .500 or below eight times. In 2018, the Suns won the top pick in the NBA Draft lottery and selected center Deandre Ayton in the hopes of rebuilding around the six-foot-eleven center.
In 1992, the Suns opened the new America West Arena in downtown Phoenix. In 2015, the naming rights for the facility were acquired by the Talking Stick Resort and Casino and the arena became the Talking Stick Resort Arena. In 2004, the franchise was purchased by real estate developer Robert Sarver.
Notable players
The first player on the Suns’s roster was Dick Van Arsdale, a guard selected by Phoenix in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale was also the team’s first All-Star, making the team in 1969, 1970, and 1971. The franchise’s first Hall of Famer was guard Paul Westphal, who was traded to Phoenix before the 1975–1976 season. Westphal’s heroics were an integral part of the Suns’ legendary Game Five against Boston in the 1976 NBA Finals. With time running out, he hit a layup and sank a free throw to send the game into overtime. His quick thinking also led to a miraculous buzzer-beater that forced a second overtime. Westphal made four All-Star teams during his time in Phoenix from 1975 to 1980. He was also coach of the 1993 squad that made the NBA Finals. Westphal was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
A teammate of Westphal’s in the late 1970s was center Alvan Adams, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1976. Adams played his entire career with Phoenix from 1975 to 1988, and was the Suns’ all-time leader in games played with 988 and rebounds with 6,937. Walter Davis was a six-time All-Star who played with the Suns from 1977 to 1988. Davis averaged 20.5 points a game with Phoenix and remained the franchise’s all-time scoring leader with 15,666 points.
In addition to Charles Barkley, the early-1990s Suns also received significant contributions from Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, and Tom Chambers. Johnson was a three-time All-Star who averaged 18.7 points a game with Phoenix from 1988 to 2000. Majerle, a three-point specialist, was a Sun from 1988 to 1995 and was second on the franchise list with 800 three-point field goals. Chambers averaged 20.6 points a game with the Suns from 1988 to 1993. Both Majerle and Chambers were also selected to three All-Star games with Phoenix. Barkley, who played the majority of his career with Philadelphia, was a Sun from 1992 to 1996, and made four of his eleven All-Star appearances with Phoenix. Barkley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Shawn Marion was a four-time All-Star who played with the Suns from 1999 to 2008. He is fourth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 12,134 points and second in rebounds with 6,616. Center Amar’e Stoudemire played eight seasons with the Suns from 2002 to 2010. He made six of his seven career All-Star appearances with Phoenix. Point guard Steve Nash was arguably the best player in franchise history. Originally drafted by Phoenix in 1996, his first stint with the team did not pan out, and he was traded to Dallas in 1998. When Nash returned to Phoenix in 2004, he blossomed into a superstar, making six All-Star games from 2004 to 2012. He held the franchise record for assists with 6,997 and three-point field goals with 1,051. His 10,335 career assists was third-most in NBA history. Nash was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Bibliography
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