Latest Phoenix Suns News

    Phoenix Suns Franchise Information

    Have a read on below at some quick stats and facts on the Phoenix Suns to get you started: 

    Established:1968
    Stadium:Talking Stick Resort Arena
    Colours:Purple, orange, black, gray & yellow
    Hall of Famers:Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, Charlie Scott, Gus Johnson, Paul Westphal, Dennis Johnson, Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill & Shaquille O’Neal
    Hall of Fame Coaches:None
    Rivals:San Antonio Spurs & Los Angeles Lakers
    Legends:Paul Westphal, Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley & Steve Nash
    Retired Numbers:5, 6, 7, 33, 42 & 44
    Conference: Western Conference
    Division:Pacific Division
    NBA ChampionshipsNone

    Phoenix Suns History

    Despite being labelled as ‘too small’, ‘too hot’ and ‘too far away’ by the NBA commissioner at the time, the Phoenix Suns were created before the 1968-69 season, becoming the first professional sports team in Arizona. 

    In the expansion draft before their first season, the Suns selected future hall of famer Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale, who both played in the All Star Game in their first season with the team, but only managed to help the Suns achieve a 16-66 record. 

    The Suns’ poor performance meant they had a coin-flip for the first pick in the 1969 Draft, with Milwaukee winning the flip and drafting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while Phoenix had to settle for Neal Walk. 

    The Suns managed to make the playoffs in their second season after improving by 23 wins during the regular season but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Goodrich left the team to go back to the Lakers, whom he played with before the expansion draft, and the Suns would go on to miss the playoffs in the next five seasons. 

    Prior to the 1975-76 season, the Suns made some moves, bringing in Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams, among others, hoping to bring some success to the franchise. The team would go on to have a 42-40 record, with Adams winning Rookie of the Year, and made the playoffs for the second time. 

    They would defeat the Seattle Supersonics in the first round and then defeat the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals to advance to their first NBA Finals in just their eighth season. 

    Facing the experienced Boston Celtics, the Suns had the series tied 2-2 before a spectacular game five, which had three overtimes before the Celtics prevailed. Deflated and tired after their triple overtime loss, the Suns lost game six to lose the series 4-2. 

    The Suns would miss the playoffs the next season, allowing them to draft Walter Davis who went on to win 1978 Rookie of the Year. Phoenix would make the playoffs in the next eight seasons, but were only able to make the Western Conference Finals once during this time and were marred by off-court issues with multiple players facing drug related charges. 

    After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Phoenix traded for Kelvin Johnson and with the development of the young Jeff Hornacek and Dan Majerle would help the team make the playoffs for 13 straight seasons. 

    Johnson would win Most Improved Player in his first season with the team, leading them to the Western Conference Finals where they were swept by the Lakers, the third straight playoff exit for the Suns at the hands of the Lakers. 

    The 1989-90 season would see the Suns face the Lakers in the playoffs again, this time in the second round and this time Phoenix were able to turn the tables on LA, winning the series 4-1, before going on to be defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals. 

    After falling in the first and second rounds the following two seasons, Phoenix traded for All Star Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia 76ers. Barkley would win MVP in his first season with the Suns, leading the team to a 62-20 record, winning their second division title, finishing on top of the Western Conference and leading the Suns back to the NBA Finals. 

    Coming up against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and falling in six games, despite a triple overtime thriller in game three, being only the second ever time that a Finals game went to triple overtime, with the Suns playing in the other as well. 

    After two straight years of being knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by the Houston Rockets in seven games, the front office traded fan and locker room favourite Majerle to the Cavaliers for a shot blocking center in John Williams. 

    The loss of Majerle plus Williams underperforming meant that trade was a big negative for Phoenix, and eventually led to Barkley requesting a trade. Despite losing Barkley in 1996, the Suns drafted Steve Nash, and paired with Jason Kidd and Johnson, gave Phoenix one of the best back court rotations in the league. 

    With Kidd manning the point position, Nash was eventually traded to the Dallas Mavericks, as the two weren’t able to play substantial minutes on the court together. However after missing the playoffs in 2001-02 for the first time in 14 seasons, the Suns traded Jason Kidd and drafted Amar’e Stoudamire who went on to win Rookie of the Year and lead Phoenix back to the playoffs. 

    Despite stellar play from Stoudamire and Stephon Marbury, whom they received in the Kidd trade and made the All-NBA Third Team and the All Star Game in his first season with the Suns, Phoenix were eliminated in the first round by the Spurs. 

    After missing the playoffs again in 2003-04, the Suns brought back Steve Nash, signing him as a free agent. Nash won MVP in his first season back with Phoenix, and paired with Stoudamire and the emerging Shawn Marion, led the Suns to a 62-20 record, their fourth division title and the best record in the Western Conference. The Suns would make it back to the Western Conference Finals but were outpowered by the Spurs. 

    Stoudamire required surgery which saw him miss most of the season and star shooting guard Joe Johnson requested a trade to the Atlanta Hawks, bringing back Boris Diaw and future first round picks. 

    Despite the turnover, Nash made it back to back MVPs in 2005, with Diaw winning Most Improved Player of the Year, and the Suns beat the Lakers in the opening round after falling behind 3-1. After beating the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix went on to face, who was widely regarded as the best team in the league, the Dallas Mavericks and despite winning game one, Phoenix went on to lose the series 4-2. 

    The 2006-07 season saw the Suns have two different winning streaks of 15 games and 17 games respectively, on their way to a 61-21 record and their third consecutive division title, finishing second in the West. Phoenix faced the Lakers in the first round again, winning 4-1 before falling to the eventual champion Spurs 4-2 in the second round. 

    Trading for the often injured Grant Hill paid dividends, as he was able to play in most games during that season. Phoenix traded for Shaquille O’Neal during the season, ending their ability to play with the fast pace that created their success in earlier seasons, and resulted in them losing in the first round to the Spurs. 

    Mike D’Antoni left as coach following that season, and the Suns’ performance suffered, missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, before bouncing back in 2009-10. O’Neal left the team prior to this season and allowed Phoenix to return to their fast paced play, making it back to the Western Conference Finals, before falling to familiar foe, the Lakers. 

    That would be the last time the Suns made the playoffs, letting Nash and Stoudamire leave in free agency and attempting to find the perfect blend of players through the draft, with little success. From the 2010-11 season to this most recent 2019-20 season, the Suns’ best season performance was in 2013-14, where they finished one game out of the playoffs in ninth place. 

    In 2015, the Phoenix Suns drafted Kentucky guard Devin Booker and in 2018 used the first pick in the draft to select Arizona center Deandre Ayton. This pairing, while not having as much success on the court as Suns’ fans would have liked, are only 23 and 22 years old respectively, and are set to guide Phoenix back to the playoffs in the near future. 

    Booker has shown glimpses of stardom in his five seasons with the team, highlighted by scoring 70 points against the Boston Celtics in 2017. He has averaged over 26 points per game in the last three seasons and is ready to start winning more games. 

    He also led the Suns to an 8-0 record in the Orlando Bubble to get Phoenix within a game of the 8 v 9 play-in game, but results didn’t go their way and they finished 10th in the West. His play in Orlando gives Phoenix hope that their 10 season streak of missing the playoffs is nearing an end, and the franchise’s first championship is not far away. 

    Wanting to capitalize on their good form to finish the 2019-20 season, Phoenix made a splash by trading for Chris Paul. Adding him to the young core of Booker, Ayton and Mikal Bridges was supposed to put the team over the top and that is exactly what it did.

    Phoenix was one of the best teams all season during the 2020-21 campaign and went from missing the playoffs to playing in the NBA Finals. They defeated the Lakers, Nuggets and Clippers on their way to facing the Bucks in The Finals but had no match for Giannis Antetokounmpo and lost in six games.

    The Phoenix Suns failed to get back to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals as well. As they were bounced in the second round of the playoffs. They finished the year with a record of 64-18 and first in the Western Conference.

    Expert 2022-23 Picks & Preview on Phoenix Suns

    If you are a fan of the Phoenix Suns, then you know that the only thing that matters right now is how they are expected to perform in the 2022-23 season. Do the Phoenix Suns have the star power to make it all the way to the playoffs and win The Finals in 2023?

    Have a read on below at SportsTips expert picks & preview on the Phoenix Suns:

    Front Office

    Monty Williams is the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, and this upcoming 2022-23 National Basketball Association season will be his fourth season in charge of the franchise after previously spending time with New Orleans. He has been coaching in the league for nine years overall and over the course of his coaching career he has made the playoffs four times. His overall record in the regular season currently sits at 322-299. While his overall playoff record is currently sitting at 23-22. After graduating from Notre Dame he had a decade long playing career in the league where he played for five different teams.

    Former NBA player James Jones is the general manager of the Phoenix Suns and he has held that position within the franchise since 2019 on an official basis after being named the interim GM in 2018. This upcoming 2022-23 National Basketball Association season will be his fifth season as the decision maker for the franchise. He had an NBA career that spanned nearly a decade and a half and he played for several teams. 

    Key Players

    Devin Booker is the best player on this team’s roster and he is sure to make a huge impact during the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. This upcoming season will be his eighth season in the National Basketball Association. Last season he put up some impressive numbers as he averaged around 27 points per game. He set up his teammates as well as he averaged around five assists per game. He also managed to do some work on the boards as he averaged around five rebounds per game. 

    The second key player on this roster is Deandre Ayton and this upcoming season will be his fifth season in the National Basketball Association. Last season he put up some impressive numbers as he averaged around 17 points per game. He set up his teammates as well as he averaged around two assists per game. He also managed to do some work on the boards as he averaged around 10 rebounds per game.

    Breakout Player

    Duane Washington will be the breakout player on this team’s roster and he is sure to make a huge impact during the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. He went undrafted in the 2021 National Basketball Association Draft. This upcoming season will be his second season in the National Basketball Association after attending Ohio State. Last season with the Indiana Pacers, he put up some serviceable numbers as he averaged around 10 points per game. 

    He set up his teammates as well as he averaged around two assists per game. He also managed to do some work on the boards as he averaged around two rebounds per game. He put in some work on the defensive end of the court as well, averaging around one steal per game and one block per game. His list of accolades is impressive as he is a former all Big Ten selection while playing for the Buckeyes.

    Phoenix Suns Betting & Odds Preview 2022-23

    The Phoenix Suns campaign during the 2021-22 National Basketball Association season went about as you would’ve expected. They finished the year with a record of 64-18 and in first place of the Pacific Division.  

    There is a lot of optimism surrounding the franchise heading into the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. If they want to improve or keep up their current level of play they will certainly need a ton of production from their stars over the course of the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. The most important thing in any season is how a team starts out of the gate, and then how they look when the all-star break approaches. 

    In the National Basketball Association, a lot can change over a single off-season. It will be interesting to see how their offseason moves translate onto the basketball court over the course of the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season. Based on their odds to win some hardware headed into the season it is clear how the oddsmakers in Las Vegas feel about them heading into the year. 

    Their odds to bring home the Pacific Division championship this season currently sit at +200 heading into the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season, which puts them third in the Pacific Division out of five teams. 

    While their odds to win the Western Conference currently sit at +450 heading into the 2022-23 National Basketball Association season, which puts them third in the Western Conference out of 15 teams. Their overall odds to bring home the championship are currently sitting at +1000 heading into the 2022-23 season, as they rank sixth out of all 30 teams in the National Basketball Association.

    Phoenix Suns FAQs

    Still got some burning questions about the Phoenix Suns? Well, we have answered some of the most common questions people have, hopefully you will find the answer you are looking for below! 

    Where do the Phoenix Suns play?

    The Phoenix Suns play their home games at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. 

    Who owns the Phoenix Suns?

    Robert Sarver is the owner of the Phoenix Suns. Sarver bought the team for a record $401M in 2004.  

    Have the Phoenix Suns won an NBA Championship?

    The Phoenix Suns have won 0 NBA Championships. 

    Who is the Phoenix Suns coach?

    Monty Williams is currently the coach of the Phoenix Suns. Williams was hired before the 2019-20 season after being an assistant coach at the Philadelphia 76ers. 

    Do the Phoenix Suns play tonight?

    Are you wondering if the Phoenix Suns are playing tonight? Well, SportsTips has all the details you need about upcoming Phoenix Suns games! Make sure you check this page at the top for all the details you are looking for.

    What is the Phoenix Suns record?

    The Phoenix Suns had a 64-18 win-loss record for the 2021-22 NBA season. 

    Did the Phoenix Suns win last night?

    Fans of the Phoenix Suns are all wanting to know if they won the game last night. You can find more information in relation to the team’s recent form in games on the page at the top.

    How much are the Phoenix Suns worth?

    According to Forbes Magazine, the Phoenix Suns are worth $1.8 billion. 

    Who do the Phoenix Suns play tonight?

    Like a lot of things in the NBA, things change pretty quickly. So, if you are looking for more information about who the Phoenix Suns play tonight, you have come to the right place. We have all this information for you in detail, you can find these details for upcoming games at the top of the page.

    How to watch the Phoenix Suns?

    You can watch the Phoenix Suns on TV channels like ESPN, ABC, TNT, NBA TV or Fox Sports Arizona or subscribe to NBA League Pass. 

    Will the Phoenix Suns make the playoffs this year?

    The Phoenix Suns made the playoffs after finishing first in the West during the 2021-22 season with a 64-18 record. 

    Will the Phoenix Suns get the 1st pick in the NBA Draft?

    The Phoenix Suns did not receive the 1st pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

    When do the Phoenix Suns play?

    Phoenix Suns fans are always looking for more information about when their team plays the next game. For all the information you have been craving and more, be sure to check the top of this page. Here at SportsTips, we list all the information you need like the tip off time, location of the game and the all important NBA odds.

    Where did the Phoenix Suns finish the season?

    The Phoenix Suns finished the 2021-22 NBA season in 1st in the Western Conference. 

    How many games did the Phoenix Suns win?

    The Phoenix Suns won 64 games during the 2021-22 NBA season.