60 Fun Facts About Phoenix Suns

In which year did the Suns begin play as an expansion team?

They joined alongside the Milwaukee Bucks and were Arizona's first major pro franchise.

Which other franchise joined the NBA alongside the Suns in 1968?

The two expansion mates flipped a coin for the 1969 No. 1 pick, and Milwaukee won the rights to Lew Alcindor.

Whom did the Suns draft with the second pick in 1969 after losing the coin flip for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

The Florida centre had a solid career but the flip haunted the franchise for decades.

What was the entry fee the NBA charged Phoenix and Milwaukee to join the league in 1968?

Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy had called Phoenix 'too hot, too small and too far away'.

Which of these names lost to 'Suns' in the 1968 name-the-team contest?

Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars also lost; the winner got $1,000 and season tickets.

How much was Tucson printer Stan Fabe paid to design the Suns' first iconic logo?

The sunburst design survives in modernised form on today's uniforms.

Who became the Suns' first general manager at age 28 in 1968 and later owned the team?

He came from the Chicago Bulls as a scout and led the group that bought the team for a then-record $44 million in 1987.

What was the nickname of Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Suns' home for their first 24 seasons?

The Suns moved to America West Arena, the 'Purple Palace', in 1992.

Which broadcaster, 'the Voice of the Suns' from 1972 to 2023, is the longest-tenured in NBA history?

He called all three of the franchise's Finals appearances and won the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2007.

Which guard did the Suns get from Boston in 1975 for Charlie Scott, sparking their 1976 Finals run?

He later coached the 1993 Finals team, making him part of both of the franchise's first two Finals trips.

Who hit the buzzer-beating turnaround jumper that forced a third overtime in Game 5 of the 1976 Finals?

Westphal had deliberately called a timeout the Suns did not have to move the ball to half-court; Boston still won 128–126.

Which team beat the Suns in the 1976 NBA Finals?

The Suns had upset the defending champion Warriors in seven games to get there.

A 1987 drug scandal saw three active Suns indicted partly on immunised testimony from which star?

No one went to trial, and the affair is now widely seen as a witch hunt, but it opened the door for Colangelo to buy the team.

Which point guard did the Suns get from Cleveland in the 1988 trade that sent Larry Nance to the Cavaliers?

The deal began a franchise-record 13 straight playoff appearances; Johnson later became mayor of Sacramento.

Which forward, signed by Phoenix in 1988, was the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history?

He came from Seattle and was one of four Suns All-Stars in the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons.

The Suns' last Coliseum game, a 1992 double-OT playoff loss to Portland, ended by what score?

It was the highest-scoring game in NBA playoff history at the time.

Which three players did the Suns send to Philadelphia in 1992 for Charles Barkley?

Barkley won MVP in his first season in Phoenix.

How many games did the 1992–93 Suns win to set a franchise record, later tied in 2004–05?

They came back from 0–2 against the eighth-seeded Lakers, then lost the Finals to Chicago.

Roughly how many fans celebrated the 1993 Finals team in the streets of Phoenix in 105-degree heat?

Game 3 of that series went to triple overtime, as had Game 5 of the 1976 Finals.

Which team eliminated the Suns in seven-game conference semifinals in both 1994 and 1995?

Phoenix led 2–0 in 1994 and 3–1 in 1995; Houston won the title both years.

Which fan favourite did the Suns trade to Cleveland in 1995 for John 'Hot Rod' Williams?

'Thunder Dan' returned to Phoenix in 2001 and later became an assistant coach.

With which pick did the Suns draft Steve Nash out of Santa Clara in 1996?

He backed up Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson before being traded to Dallas in 1998.

What was the Suns' record to start 1996–97 after the Barkley trade, the worst start in franchise history?

They still made the playoffs behind an 11-game winning streak, one of very few teams to recover from such a start.

The 1998 trade of Steve Nash to Dallas brought Phoenix a future first-round pick used on which player?

'The Matrix' became a four-time All-Star in Phoenix.

What nickname was given to the turn-of-the-millennium pairing of Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway?

Injuries meant the duo was rarely on the floor together.

Amar'e Stoudemire became the first Rookie of the Year to have been drafted straight from what?

He came from Cypress Creek High School in Orlando and won the award for 2002–03.

For how much did Robert Sarver's group buy the Suns from their longtime owner in 2004?

Sarver sold to Mat Ishbia for a record $4 billion in 2022 after a league suspension.

By how many games did the Suns improve in 2004–05, a team record, after signing Steve Nash?

They went 62–20 and Nash won the first of his back-to-back MVPs.

Which coach won NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with the Suns in 2004–05?

His fast-break system was chronicled in the book 'Seven Seconds or Less'.

Steve Nash became the second point guard to win back-to-back MVPs, after whom?

He won in 2005 and 2006 and finished narrowly behind Dirk Nowitzki in 2007.

Which Suns guard was ejected and suspended for clotheslining Kobe Bryant in the 2006 first round?

Phoenix came back from 3–1 down to win the series in seven.

How many threes did the Suns hit in Game 7 vs the Clippers in 2006, then a playoff record?

They won by 20 on their home court on May 22, 2006.

Which Sports Illustrated writer wrote the book about the D'Antoni Suns titled 'Seven Seconds or Less'?

The 2006–07 team ran off winning streaks of 15 and 17 games.

The 2008 trade that brought Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix sent which four-time All-Star to Miami?

The move is blamed for ending the fast-paced offence; the Suns lost in the first round to San Antonio.

Which former TNT analyst became Suns general manager in 2007 and signed Grant Hill?

He resigned in 2010 and later coached the Warriors to four titles.

The Suns' 'Los Suns' uniforms on Cinco de Mayo 2010 were widely reported as a protest against what?

Dave Zirin called it an unprecedented political statement by a sports team.

For how much did Amar'e Stoudemire sign with the Knicks in 2010?

Phoenix had offered about $95 million with only $71 million guaranteed.

To which team did the Suns trade Steve Nash in 2012?

Phoenix received first-round picks in 2013 and 2015 plus two second-rounders.

Which Kentucky guard did the Suns draft 13th overall in 2015, the youngest player they had ever selected?

He passed Walter Davis as the franchise's all-time leading scorer in February 2025.

Whom did the Suns select with their first-ever No. 1 overall pick in 2018?

He was traded to Portland in 2023 in the three-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.

Which Arizona Cardinals star bought a minority stake in the Suns in January 2020?

He became the second active NFL player with an NBA ownership share.

What was the Suns' record in the 2020 Orlando bubble?

They still missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season, then traded for Chris Paul that off-season.

Which team beat the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals after Phoenix won the first two games?

Devin Booker set the record for most points by a player in his debut postseason.

How many consecutive games did the Suns win in late 2021 to set a franchise record?

They finished 64–18, also a franchise record, before losing to Dallas in the second round.

For roughly how much did Mat Ishbia buy the Suns and Mercury from Robert Sarver in 2022?

At 43 he became the second-youngest owner in league history and immediately traded for Kevin Durant.

Which two young wings went to Brooklyn in the February 2023 trade for Kevin Durant?

Phoenix also gave up Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks and a 2028 swap.

Which coach beat the Suns in the 2021 Finals, then was hired and fired by Phoenix in 2024-25?

His team went 36–46 with the league's highest payroll.

Kevin Durant was traded from Phoenix to which team in July 2025?

Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the draft rights to Khaman Maluach headlined the return in a seven-team deal.

The Suns' Gorilla mascot began when a messenger for which type of business danced at a game in a gorilla suit?

Henry Rojas of Eastern Onion kept coming back until the team hired him; 'Go' is in the Mascot Hall of Fame.

The Suns' Gorilla took a chokeslam and tombstone from Kane on which TV show in 1998?

Bob Woolf, a former Arizona State gymnast, performed the acrobatic version of the character for decades.

The Suns' 'The Valley' City uniform features a pixelated sunset over which Phoenix landmark?

'The Valley' has been the nickname of the Phoenix area for decades.

The Suns hold the NBA record for the most Finals appearances without a championship. How many?

They lost in 1976, 1993 and 2021 and have the best winning percentage of any team never to win a title.

Which two players won league MVP while playing for the Suns?

Barkley won in 1993 and Nash in 2005 and 2006.

Where did the Suns play their annual outdoor preseason game from 2008 to 2010?

They lost the first two to Denver and Golden State and beat Dallas in the third.

Who was the Suns' first head coach in 1968, fresh from a Coach of the Year season in Chicago?

Unlike his Bulls success, Kerr's first Suns team went 16-66 and finished 25 games out of the playoffs.

Which future Hall of Fame guard, picked in the 1968 expansion draft, returned to the Lakers after two Suns seasons?

Fellow expansion pick Dick Van Arsdale, by contrast, spent the rest of his career in Phoenix and later coached the team.

The Suns' 1992 downtown arena earned what nickname because of the colour of its seats?

The team moved into America West Arena for the 1992-93 season, the same year Charles Barkley arrived.

Which NBA team did the Suns face in their very first game in 1968?

Fittingly, the Suns beat the Sonics 104-96 on the night in 2008 they unveiled their 40th Anniversary Team.

In the Gorilla mascot's fictional backstory, where did he earn his education?

'Go' supposedly hails from the Banana Republic; original performer Henry Rojas retired after the 1987-88 season.

What colour was the base of the Suns' 2022-23 City uniform saluting Native American culture?

The jersey paired the turquoise base with black letters, red trim and indigenous art on the striping.