Regardless of wins and losses there is one thing that constantly puts the Suns at the of or near the top of the league. Something that has the passion and heart that very few NBA teams have. It’s the fans of course.

The true lifeblood of the organization, Suns fans continually support the team through thick and thin (and we’re not just talking about the different versions of Charles Barkley since he retired). No, they have found a passion for Arizona’s first professional sports franchise that has spanned 45 years. While the names on the roster have changed, their desire to don the purple and orange and cheer as loud as possible has never wavered. [Read more...]

There are very few moments in sports that are left up to complete and utter random chance. Most things in sports are like the SATs. They can be practiced, prepared for, strategized, learned or obsessed over to the point that you have some sense of control over them, regardless of how miniscule.

Next Tuesday on ESPN, one of those rare moments where teams, coaches, athletes and general managers have no control over the outcome will unfold before our eyes. It’s the NBA’s Draft Lottery and it’s about as unpredictable as an Amanda Bynes tweet. It’s an event that, in the last 14 years, has only seen the team with the best odds get the No. 1 pick the same amount of times, twice, as the team with the fourth best odds.

Winning the draft lottery and getting the No. 1 overall pick is one of two things the storied Suns franchise has yet to conquer in its 45 years of existence. The other, obviously, being an NBA Championship. And if they can accomplish the former this year, maybe they can finally accomplish the latter in the near future. [Read more...]

Are you ready for the Phoenix Suns youth movement?

I’m not talking about on the court, although that is well underway too. No, I’m talking about the Suns’ front office.

With the hiring of the 33-year-old Ryan McDonough as general manager, the Suns have proven they are willing to think fresh and add younger blood to the front office. From a selfish standpoint, I love the move for the pure fact that there is now a member of the basketball operations staff that will get my bad ‘80s and ‘90s pop-culture references. (Example: Goran Dragic is schooling the competition more than Mr. Feeny schooled Cory and Shawn.) Then again, maybe even he won’t get those obscure thoughts. [Read more...]

As a Phoenix Suns fan who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s there is one shot that has always stood out in my mind as the craziest shot ever made in Suns history. (Mind you, I didn’t say the best. That will be a title always held by the Shot Heard Round the World from the 1976 Finals.)

This shot came 20 years ago, April 22, in Portland. In a bizarre turn of events, with the Suns down one, Charles Barkley caught a ball at his ankles with .5 seconds on the clock and flipped it in for the Suns win. I had a chance to catch up with Charles Barkley recently and he broke down the play. Check it out in the video above.

Just because our Suns aren’t in the playoffs doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention. As a matter of fact, we should probably pick a team to support while you’re forced listen to Rihanna on loop during the 40 games in 40 nights. (Editor’s Note: Dear Turner, Please do not remove said reference even though you run our websites.)

Picking a team that isn’t your own to root for isn’t something you do at random though. There is a science to it. You have to consider a team’s history against the Suns, if there are former members of the Suns on the team, are there any enemies of the Suns state on the roster and would it hurt the Suns franchise in the future if this team won.

With that criteria in mind, let me help you navigate each of the first round match ups to figure out who we all should be rooting for in this Suns Fans Guide to the NBA Playoffs’ first round. [Read more...]

I want to see Brittney Griner in a Phoenix Mercury uniform this summer. It’s not for selfish reasons either.

It means the talk that has dominated many basketball circles this week has been just that, talk. It means Griner gets to become what she’s destined to be, one of the best women’s basketball players in the history of the game in one of the premier women’s leagues in the world. It means we can appreciate her for her skill set and not as some sideshow.

Griner doesn’t need the NBA, even if a certain NBA maverick really does want to give her a shot. She doesn’t need the NBA just because it doesn’t have a W in front of it. If you’ve listened to the national debate being waged online and on cable sports networks, you would almost think that this is a challenge the Baylor standout has to accept and conquer to prove herself. [Read more...]

At 23-51, Suns fans probably feel like the playoff picture doesn’t much apply to their team.

For fans of other franchises in similar predicaments that may be true, but for fans in the Valley the next two weeks and the playoff picture may mean more to us than to the fan bases of the teams actually involved.

It sounds a little crazy to say – or is that type – out loud, but over the next 16 nights Suns fans might need to root even harder for the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz than their hometown team. OK, so Suns fans might not have to go that far, but they should at least be in favor of usual foes becoming friends for the remainder of the season. [Read more...]

Suns center Hamed Haddadi isn’t known for his passing ability. Well, that is he isn’t known for his passing ability with his hands. If he keeps this up he’ll be known for his passing ability with his feet. Too bad it’d be called as a kicking violation on the court. Oh, and nice dunk Wes. We can’t ignore that.

It’s always good to catch up with an old friend.

When you haven’t seen them in years there is nothing like spending time getting reacquainted and reminiscing about the good old days. Sure, things feel different and even a little odd at times but, even if things are not quite like you remembered it, it’s still fun to see them again.

That’s how this season has been as a Suns fan. It had been over a decade since we had last seen the jersey with the sunburst on the front of them. For ten glorious games, regardless of results, the black jerseys that were made popular in the 1990s made a bigger comeback than snapback hats and the economy combined.

Even if every time I looked up and saw No. 2, No. 3 or No. 11 on the court and instinctively thought of Elliot Perry, Rex Chapman and Wes Person rather than Wes Johnson, Jared Dudley and Markieff Morris, it was still great to have them back. Unlike throwbacks that other teams pull out from time to time, the Suns black jerseys didn’t feel dated or forced. They were timeless and unique. A design that could be worn every game in the league and no one would ever question it or think they looked out of place. [Read more...]

In this job sometimes you get the chance to meet people you’ve idolized or that hold a special place in your past. Earlier this season I got the opportunity to meet my all-time favorite Sun, Charles Barkley, who was a big reason — don’t worry Chuck, that’s not a fat joke — why I became a Suns fan. This past Sunday, I got the chance to meet someone who was a big reason why I love the game of basketball.

Yes, it sounds like one giant humble brag, but as a hoops fan that happens to work within the organization, I don’t feel it’s fair to keep these choice encounters to myself. It’s my job to give you a peek behind the curtain of the organization and let you share in the experiences vicariously. [Read more...]