50 Facts About Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Phoenix Suns are the only team in their division not to be based in California, and play their home games at the Footprint Center.

However, after failing to capture a championship, the Phoenix Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s, until the acquisition of Kevin Johnson in 1988.

Under Johnson, and after trading for perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley, and combined with the output of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle, the Phoenix Suns reached the playoffs for a franchise-record thirteen consecutive appearances and remained a regular title contender throughout the 1990s, and reached the 1993 NBA Finals.

In 2004, the Suns signed free agent Steve Nash, and returned into playoff contention.

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Two more top two Conference placements followed, but the Phoenix Suns again failed to attain an NBA championship, and were forced into another rebuild.

The Suns played their first 24 seasons at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, called the "Madhouse on McDowell", located slightly northwest of downtown Phoenix.

Phoenix Suns was preferred over Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars.

The next two seasons, the Phoenix Suns finished with 48- and 49-win seasons, but did not qualify for the playoffs in either year, and did not reach the playoffs again until 1976.

The Phoenix Suns faced the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, winning the series four games to two, and beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, four games to three, to advance to their first NBA Finals.

Phoenix Suns faced an experienced Celtics team, led by eventual Hall of Famers Dave Cowens, John Havlicek and Jo Jo White.

Game five of the 1976 NBA Finals took place at Boston Garden, where the Phoenix Suns came back from a 22-point first-half deficit to force overtime.

Havlicek made what was supposed to be a game-winning basket, but due to fans rushing the floor before time officially expired, officials put one second back on the clock with Phoenix Suns having possession of the ball, but under their own basket.

However, this advanced the ball to half-court, and once the Phoenix Suns had possession, Garfield Heard made a buzzer-beating turnaround jump shot to force a third overtime.

Phoenix Suns' luck began to turn around in 1988 with the acquisition of Kevin Johnson from the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with Mark West and Tyrone Corbin, for All-Star power forward Larry Nance and Mike Sanders.

The Phoenix Suns then were defeated in five games to the Trail Blazers in the Conference Semifinals.

In 1992, the Suns moved into their new arena in downtown Phoenix, the America West Arena.

The Phoenix Suns then eliminated the Spurs and SuperSonics, advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

In both years, the Phoenix Suns led the series by two games at one point only to see the Rockets come back to win each series.

The Phoenix Suns were eliminated in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs; a six-game series with the eventual NBA champions.

The Phoenix Suns made a blockbuster mid-season trade sending Marbury and Hardaway to the New York Knicks for Antonio McDyess and a future first round pick that was later dealt to Denver.

Phoenix Suns began the 2006 Western Conference Playoffs as favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Phoenix Suns took game six in overtime, their first overtime win all season, despite 50 points from Bryant and Bell out serving a one-game suspension with last-second help from mid-season acquisition Tim Thomas.

The Phoenix Suns took game one in Dallas by a single point and their May 30 victory in game four marked the most wins for the franchise in a Conference Finals series since the 1993 season.

Under coach D'Antoni, the Phoenix Suns popularized the fast break offense known as 7 seconds or less, which was later published in a book written by Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum.

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The Phoenix Suns selected Robin Lopez in the 2008 NBA draft and acquired Goran Dragic, who was originally picked by the rival San Antonio Spurs.

The Phoenix Suns were expected to make the transition back to the up-tempo style basketball nicknamed the "7 Seconds or Less" or "Run and Gun" style.

Six Phoenix Suns players scored in double digits, led by Leandro Barbosa's 24 points.

The Phoenix Suns led by as much as 50 points during the game and were without their swingman Jason Richardson who was serving a one-game suspension.

The Phoenix Suns faced the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals but lost in six games.

Phoenix Suns re-signed Amar'e Stoudemire in the 2010 free agency period with a five-year contract for around $95 million, with $71 million guaranteed, and the rest of his salary coming only if certain conditions were held, such as getting guaranteed 4th and 5th-season money if he remained healthy enough to meet those conditions.

However, during the summer of 2010, the Phoenix Suns let Stoudemire go to the New York Knicks since they were guaranteeing him $100 million and hired player agent Lon Babby as president of basketball operations.

The Suns signed P J Tucker based on his performance with the Suns' Summer League team.

Immediately after the trade, the Phoenix Suns replaced Dragic by trading for Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight, sending Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee to Milwaukee and the Lakers' 2015 first round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Phoenix Suns was the youngest player drafted at the time by the Suns at 18-years-old and debuted two days before his 19th birthday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Phoenix Suns earned the team's first NBA All-Rookie Team honors since Amar'e Stoudemire back in 2003.

The Phoenix Suns had the third odds in the lottery but landed the sixth pick.

The Phoenix Suns faced the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, defeating them in six games to win their first playoff series since 2010.

The Phoenix Suns then went on to sweep the Denver Nuggets, advancing the team to the Western Conference Finals.

Phoenix Suns played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum from 1968 until 1992.

The "Phoenix Suns" wordmark was a callback to the "Western" look of the 1970s and 1980s.

Phoenix Suns started wearing special "Noche Latina" uniforms in 2007 to commemorate the Latin American fanbase.

The Phoenix Suns used the occasion to unveil a new version of the "Los Phoenix Suns" uniform, albeit using only purple, grey and white.

For 2019, the "Los Phoenix Suns" uniform added orange trim on the letters and stylized black piping while moving the front numbers to the left chest.

Phoenix Suns's antics became a hit and the Gorilla has since been a member of the Phoenix Suns.

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Phoenix Suns was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2005 and still makes appearances with charities, schools, hospitals and local businesses.

Phoenix Suns hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA.

Ryan Resch came out in 2022 while working as vice president of strategy and evaluation for the Phoenix Suns, making him the first openly gay person in league history to work basketball operations in an NBA front office.

Phoenix Suns held an annual basketball exhibition game, the NBA Outdoors, every first weekend of October in Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, near the city of Palm Springs from 2008 to 2010.

In 2008 and 2009 pre-seasons, the Phoenix Suns held training camp in the Auditorium in La Quinta, California, and the College of the Desert Gymnasium in Palm Desert, California, alongside the Portland Trail Blazers.