Phoenix Suns

• 1. Introduction

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  The Phoenix Suns lost a coin flip that handed their expansion rival one of basketball's greatest careers. After finishing last in their first season, the Suns and Milwaukee drew lots for the top pick in the 1969 NBA draft. Milwaukee won and selected center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Phoenix settled for Neal Walk from Florida. Three times in the decades that followed, the Suns would reach the NBA Finals. Three times they came home without a championship. No team in league history has appeared in more Finals without winning one. Two players won the Most Valuable Player award while in Phoenix. Thirteen Hall of Famers suited up for the franchise. A game in Boston in 1976 stretched into triple overtime and is still considered among the most dramatic in playoff history. A coach named Mike D'Antoni ran an offense so relentless it earned its own name. It started with a newspaper contest to name a team that the NBA commissioner himself thought should never have existed.

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• 2. Against the Commissioner

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  J. Walter Kennedy, the NBA commissioner in 1968, was blunt about Phoenix. He said the city was "too hot," "too small," and "too far away" to support a successful professional basketball franchise. The Phoenix metropolitan area was growing rapidly, but Kennedy remained skeptical. Local booster Richard L. Bloch continued pushing the league until the NBA Board of Governors relented. On the 22nd of January 1968, the board granted franchises to both Phoenix and Milwaukee, each for an entry fee of $2 million. The original ownership group included Karl Eller, Donald Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, and Bloch, who became team president. Entertainers including Andy Williams, Bobbie Gentry, and Ed Ames held minority stakes.

  The Arizona Republic sponsored a name-the-team contest that drew 28,000 entries. The winner received $1,000 and season tickets for the inaugural season. Suns was chosen over Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs, and Cougars. Stan Fabe, the owner of a commercial printing plant in Tucson, designed the team's first iconic logo for just $200.

  Jerry Colangelo came over from the Chicago Bulls at age 28 as the Suns' first general manager, alongside head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr. In Chicago, Colangelo and Kerr had delivered 33 wins and a playoff berth in their first expansion year. Kerr also won Coach of the Year. In Phoenix, the first season produced only 16 wins and 66 losses. Both Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale made the All-Star Game in their debut season with the Suns. Goodrich eventually returned to the Lakers. Van Arsdale spent the rest of his playing days in Phoenix.

  The team played its first 24 seasons at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which fans nicknamed the "Madhouse on McDowell." Before the 1972-73 season, Colangelo hired play-by-play announcer Al McCoy, who would become the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history. McCoy simulcast his calls on both television and radio from 1972 until 2003, when he moved exclusively to the Suns Radio Network. He was still calling home games as of the 2022-23 season. Colangelo described McCoy as "the greatest salesman for the game of basketball in our entire state." He said McCoy "had as much to do with the success of the Suns as any player, coach or manager."

  In the summer of 1975, the Suns traded guard Charlie Scott to the Boston Celtics for Paul Westphal. Westphal had won a championship with Boston in 1974.

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• 3. The 1976 Finals

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  Alvan Adams, a center drafted from the University of Oklahoma, and guard Ricky Sobers from UNLV joined the Phoenix roster in the 1975 draft. A midseason deal brought forward Garfield Heard from the Buffalo Braves, with John Shumate going the other way. Phoenix opened the 1975-76 regular season 14-9, the best start in franchise history to that point. Injuries disrupted the momentum, including Dick Van Arsdale breaking his right arm in a February game. A stretch of 4-18 followed. The Suns then went 24-13 in their final 37 games to finish 42-40 and claim their first playoff berth since 1970.

  Phoenix defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the opening round, four games to two. They then beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors four games to three to advance to the Finals. Their opponent was the Boston Celtics, featuring Hall of Famers Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and Jo Jo White.

  At halftime of game five at Boston Garden, the Suns trailed by 22 points. Phoenix fought back and forced overtime. During the second overtime period, Havlicek hit what appeared to be a game-winning basket. Fans rushed the floor before the clock officially reached zero. Officials placed one second back on the clock, with Phoenix possessing the ball under their own basket. Westphal chose not to heave a desperation shot. Instead, he called a timeout his team did not have, drawing a technical foul. Jo Jo White converted the resulting free throw, pushing Boston ahead 112-110. But calling the timeout also moved the ball to half-court. Heard received the inbound and hit a turnaround jump shot at the buzzer, extending the game. Glenn McDonald, a Boston reserve, scored six of his eight total points in the overtime period that followed. The Celtics won 128-126. Boston clinched the series in game six at the Coliseum, defeating Phoenix 87-80.

  The Suns continued to compete through most of the next decade, winning the 1981 Pacific Division title and making the playoffs eight consecutive seasons. The first sign of serious trouble came in 1987, when the Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug charges connected to the franchise.

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• 4. Scandal and Salvation

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  James Edwards, Jay Humphries, and Grant Gondrezick were the three active Suns players named in the drug-related charges. The case drew partly on testimony from star player Walter Davis, who had been given immunity. None of the defendants ever went to trial. Two entered a prosecution diversion program and a third received probation. Despite outcomes that many later called a witch hunt, the scandal damaged the franchise's reputation both nationally and locally.

  The crisis created an opening for general manager Jerry Colangelo. He led a group that purchased the team for $44 million at the start of the 1987-88 season, a record for an NBA franchise at the time. Tragedy compounded the turmoil: promising young center Nick Vanos was killed in the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255.

  Rebuilding began in 1988. The Suns acquired Kevin Johnson from the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with Mark West and Tyrone Corbin, giving up All-Star Larry Nance and Mike Sanders. Johnson's arrival launched what became a franchise-record 13 consecutive playoff appearances. Tom Chambers joined from the Seattle SuperSonics as the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history. A 1986 second-round pick named Jeff Hornacek developed into a consistent scorer. With the 14th pick of the 1988 NBA draft, the Suns added Dan Majerle, soon nicknamed "Thunder Dan" by Phoenix fans.

  In the 1991-92 season, the Suns sent four players to the All-Star Game: Chambers, Johnson, Hornacek, and Majerle. That spring, game four of the conference semifinals against Portland finished 153-151 in double overtime. It remains the highest-scoring playoff game in NBA history to that date. It was also the last Suns game played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

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• 5. The Barkley Years

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  Charles Barkley arrived from the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 1992, traded for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry. The Suns moved into America West Arena in downtown Phoenix that same season. The arena's purple seats gave it an informal nickname: the "Purple Palace." Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal, a former 1976 Suns player, Phoenix won 62 games in 1992-93, a franchise record. Barkley won the NBA Most Valuable Player award that season.

  The Suns added Danny Ainge and Arkansas center Oliver Miller. Forward Richard Dumas, drafted in 1991, had been suspended for violating the NBA drug policy and missed his entire rookie season before joining the team. In the first round of the playoffs, Phoenix came back from an 0-2 deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers to win the series in five games. The Suns then eliminated the San Antonio Spurs and the Seattle SuperSonics to reach the Finals. Game three against the Chicago Bulls went to triple overtime, one of only two such games in Finals history. The Bulls won the series, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

  Approximately 300,000 fans gathered in downtown Phoenix after the Finals ended, braving 105-degree heat to celebrate in the streets.

  The Suns were formidable in the regular season over the following two years, going 178-68 combined from 1992-93 through 1994-95. Despite a Pacific Division title in 1995, Houston eliminated them in back-to-back Western Conference Semifinal series, both going the full seven games. In each year, Phoenix led the series at one point before the Rockets rallied. General manager Bryan Colangelo sent fan favorite Dan Majerle and a first-round pick to Cleveland for center John "Hot Rod" Williams, a deal widely seen as a mistake. Williams never met expectations because of injuries. Barkley was eventually traded to Houston for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown. Three of those four players were gone from Phoenix within a year.

  In the 1996 NBA draft, the Suns selected Steve Nash, a point guard from Santa Clara, with the 15th pick. Nash spent two seasons in Phoenix before the Suns traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in June 1998.

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• 6. Seven Seconds or Less

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  Steve Nash came back to Phoenix in the summer of 2004 as an unrestricted free agent. The team had just been sold to Tucson native Robert Sarver for $401 million, with Jerry Colangelo stepping away from Suns management after decades. Nash won the Most Valuable Player award in the 2004-05 season. Phoenix finished 62-20, the best record in the NBA that season. The improvement from the previous season was 33 games, a team record. Head coach Mike D'Antoni won NBA Coach of the Year. Both Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion were named All-Stars.

  Under D'Antoni, the Suns became famous for a style called "seven seconds or less." The idea was to get off a shot within seven seconds of gaining possession, before the opposing defense could set up. Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum later wrote a book about the offense. Critics questioned its defensive commitment, but the scoring pace was difficult to contain. In 2005-06, Nash won a second consecutive MVP award. Only Magic Johnson had previously won it in back-to-back seasons as a point guard. Boris Diaw, acquired in a sign-and-trade involving Joe Johnson, won NBA Most Improved Player. The Suns went 54-28 and captured the second seed in the Western Conference.

  The 2006-07 season opened with two extended win streaks. Fifteen straight wins ran from the 20th of November to the 22nd of December. A second streak of 17 games followed, from the 29th of December to the 28th of January. On the 14th of March, the 49-14 Suns faced the 52-10 Dallas Mavericks, with both teams competing for the Western Conference's top seed. Nash was chasing a third consecutive MVP award against Dirk Nowitzki. The Suns won in double overtime, but Nowitzki took the award and finished the season at 67-15.

  Shaquille O'Neal, a former MVP, arrived in a mid-season trade for four-time All-Star Shawn Marion in 2007-08. O'Neal was meant to be a physical presence against opposing big men. The move effectively ended the quick-strike offense Phoenix had built. Head coach Mike D'Antoni left the franchise on the 11th of May 2008, signing with the New York Knicks.

  In the 2019-20 season, the Suns finished 8-0 in the NBA Bubble but still missed the playoffs for the tenth consecutive year.

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• 7. The Finals Return

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  Chris Paul arrived in Phoenix from the Oklahoma City Thunder in time for the 2020-21 season. He carried credentials that included 10 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA nominations, and nine spots on the All-Defensive Team. Phoenix went 51-21 that season, the second-best record in the entire NBA. Head coach Monty Williams was named NBCA Coach of the Year. The Suns made the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and defeated the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games. It was their first playoff series win since 2010.

  Phoenix swept the Denver Nuggets in the second round. Before the Western Conference finals, Paul entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols, missing the first two games against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns advanced anyway. On the 30th of June 2021, Paul scored 41 points in game six to clinch the conference title. Phoenix was returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.

  The Suns won the first two games of the Finals. Then the Milwaukee Bucks, led by two-time regular season MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, won four straight to take the championship 4-2. Antetokounmpo was named Finals MVP. Devin Booker set the NBA record for most points scored by a player in their debut postseason.

  On the 13th of September 2022, the NBA fined owner Robert Sarver $10 million and suspended him for one year. An independent investigation found that Sarver had used a racial slur multiple times and on occasion bullied staff. He had also engaged in unequal treatment of female employees. Current and former players, including LeBron James and Chris Paul, said the punishment was too lenient. Draymond Green called for a league vote to remove Sarver as an owner. Sarver announced he would sell both the Suns and the Phoenix Mercury. On the 20th of December 2022, Sarver accepted a sale to Mat Ishbia and his brother Justin for $4 billion. It was a record price for an NBA franchise. At 43, Mat Ishbia became the second youngest team owner in league history.

  One of Ishbia's first acts as owner was acquiring Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. Durant was a 13-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion. The trade cost Phoenix Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2028 first-round pick swap. Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star, arrived from Washington in June 2023. Beal came with a maximum contract and a no-trade clause. Phoenix failed to win a single playoff game with Booker, Durant, and Beal together over two seasons. His acquisition is widely considered one of the most detrimental moves in franchise history.

  In July 2025, the Suns sent Durant to the Houston Rockets in a seven-team deal. They received Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and other pieces in return. Beal's contract was bought out the same month. Phoenix signed Booker to a two-year, $145 million extension through the 2029-30 season. The deal set a record for the highest annual extension salary in NBA history.

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