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The Phoenix Suns joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1968. Here are the best players in their franchise's rich and successful history.
The Phoenix Suns are one of two expansion franchises that joined the National Basketball Association in 1968. While they have had their fair share of triumphs over the decades, they are among 12 teams that have never won an NBA championship.
However, they’ve won three Western Conference crowns and eight division titles. The Suns also have the second-highest winning percentage among teams that don’t have a Larry O’Brien Trophy in their collection. Despite their lack of an NBA title, Phoenix has had some superstar-caliber players suit up for them through the years.
Some of the league’s greatest players have kept basketball a hot commodity in The Valley. But of all the players who have donned the purple and orange, here are the ones who stood out.
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Honorable Mention – Dick Van Arsdale
He is known as the “original Sun” after the franchise made him their first selection in the 1968 expansion draft. Van Arsdale played nine seasons for the Suns before retiring in 1977. Throughout that stretch, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and one-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member. The former Hoosier also served as General Manager, head coach, and Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Suns. The franchise retired his number five jersey, one of six they have in the rafters.
10. Devin Booker
Is it too early to put him on this list? Not really, especially considering he was a 2022 All-NBA First Team member. He has been a three-time NBA All-Star since the Suns selected him 13th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. As of the 2022-23 season, he is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals made with 1,089.
He was also the youngest player to score 60 points in a game when he torched the Boston Celtics for 70 points in 2017. Booker will continue to amass individual and team achievements for Phoenix after signing a four-year, $224 million contract extension in 2022. That deal keeps him with the Suns until the 2027-28 season.
9. Chris Paul
You may argue that Christopher Emmanuel Paul had successful stints with four other NBA teams before joining the Suns in 2020. However, “CP3” made the most of his time in Phoenix by leading them to the 2021 NBA Finals. He is also an NBA All-Star in his first three seasons with the Suns.
During those years, Paul was also selected to two All-NBA Second Teams and one All-NBA Third Team. He was also the league’s assists leader in 2022. Those credentials will be difficult to match or surpass.
8. Shawn Marion
Shawn Dwayne Marion made no excuses every time he stepped onto an NBA court. Thanks to his versatility, he scored points using his unorthodox release and can defend multiple positions. Those attributes made him a perfect piece in Phoenix’s “Seven Seconds or Less” era during the 2000s. The Suns selected him ninth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft, and he played for them until 2008.
During his stint in Phoenix, Marion became a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Third Team member. He was also selected to the 2000 NBA All-Rookie Second Team. The former UNLV standout had his best NBA season with the Suns, averaging 21.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game in 2005-06.
7. Alvan Adams
Talk about loyalty. Alvan Leigh Adams played his entire NBA career with the Suns. The team took him fourth overall in the 1975 draft, and he retired after the 1987-88 season. He immediately made an impact after winning the 1976 Rookie of the Year award, averaging 19 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. Adams also became an NBA All-Star in the same year.
Initially, the Suns retired his number 33 jersey. However, Adams allowed Grant Hill to use his number when he played for the team. He became the franchise leader in rebounds (6,937) and steals (1,289). He is also second in points.
6. Amar’e Stoudemire
Stoudemire was an unstoppable force at the peak of his career. The Suns took him ninth overall in the 2002 NBA Draft and played for the team until 2010. Those were some of the best years in the franchise’s recent history as the Suns became perennial playoff contenders.
During those years, this prep-to-pro player became a four-time All-NBA Second Team member and a five-time NBA All-Star. Stoudemire also made the 2007 All-NBA First Team a year after being limited to only three games. He averaged a career-high 26 points per game during the 2004-05 NBA season. Stoudemire increased that average to 29.9 points per game during the 2005 playoffs.
5. Walter Davis
Walter Pearl Davis is the 1978 NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 24.2 points and six rebounds per game. He averaged at least 20 points per game in six of his 11 seasons with the Suns. He became a six-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team member when he played in Phoenix.
While he had a messy breakup with the Suns after the 1987-88 season, the two sides have repaired their relationship. The franchise retired his number 6 jersey in 1994. Ten years later, he was included in the Suns’ Ring of Honor. Davis is the franchise leader in field goals made (6,497) and points (15,666).
4. Paul Westphal
Paul Douglas Westphal had two stints as a Phoenix Suns player. He joined the team in 1975 after the Boston Celtics traded him and two second-round picks to the Suns for Charlie Scott. It was a great decision as he became a three-time All-NBA First Team member and four-time NBA All-Star during his first five seasons with the Suns.
He rejoined the Suns before the 1983-84 season, but that was his last playing year. Westphal is a member of the Suns’ Ring of Honor, and the franchise also retired his number 44 jersey. He also became the team’s head coach for three seasons, leading them to the 1993 NBA Finals. Westphal became a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2019.
3. Kevin Johnson
Kevin Maurice Johnson became a member of the Phoenix Suns after a mid-season trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He repaid the trust Phoenix gave him by averaging 12.6 points and 8.7 assists in 28 games for the Suns. That was only the beginning because he leaped to become an elite point guard. Johnson became the 1989 NBA Most Improved Player, averaging 20.4 points and 12.2 assists per game.
He was also a three-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA Second Team member as one of the Suns’ primary weapons. Johnson was also a member of the Suns team that played in the 1993 NBA Finals. He also returned from retirement in the 2000 season to replace a then-injured Jason Kidd. The Suns have retired his number 7 jersey.
2. Charles Barkley
While Charles Wade Barkley played only four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, it is enough to rank him high on this list. In 1993, “Sir Charles” became the first Suns player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award. He also led the team to the NBA Finals in the same year. Barkley also made it to the Western Conference All-Star team in all his seasons with Phoenix.
The bruising player from Auburn also made it to one All-NBA First Team and three All-NBA Second Teams as the Suns’ leader. He is also a member of the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor and the NBA’s 75th-anniversary all-time team. Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2006.
1. Steve Nash
Stephen John Nash redeemed himself after a disappointing first stint with the Phoenix Suns. He re-signed with the Suns after a six-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks. The move changed his career as he became a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player as the maestro of the Suns’ “Seven Seconds or Less” offense.
Aside from winning consecutive MVP awards, he made All-NBA First-Team from 2005 to 2007. Nash was also a five-time NBA All-Star, and three-time assists leader with Phoenix. He is a member of the Suns’ Ring of Honor. His philanthropic efforts earned him the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia honors.
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