
The top 10 stars in Phoenix Suns history (…
- Alwyn Adams
If asked to represent a player who came out on top, there really aren’t many NBA fans who can quickly think of Suns Hall of Famer Alwyn Adams. These people are either obsessed true fans of the Suns, or must be a database of erudite, human basketball.
The Phoenix Suns selected white center Alwan Adams with the No. 4 pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, Alwan Adams contributed 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 caps, and 1.5 steals to the luxurious stats, unquestionably picking up the best rookie of the year and being selected as a rookie to the All-Star that season.
Meanwhile, with the twin stars of Alwan Adams & Paul Westphal shining, the Suns went all the way to the finals for the first time in team history, eventually losing to the Celtics.
Unfortunately, due to a combination of a low ceiling of talent & the Suns subsequently shifting their playground to the perimeter, Alwan Adams was unable to play any better than his rookie year. But still, he has been able to maintain a quasi-All-Star level of play.
As a player, Adams was always known for his toughness inside and excellent pass-calling, and could be considered a quasi-All-Star level player most of the time.
988 appearances, first in Suns history; 1,391 points, second in Suns history; 6,937 rebounds, first in Suns history. Alwan Adams dedicated all 13 years of his career to the Suns, and the rough and tumble Alwan Adams is like a cactus rooted in this hot desert city, writing a beautiful story of one man and one city.
After Alwan Adams retired, the Suns retired his No. 33 jersey and kept him on the team. Now, Adams still works for the Suns club as the senior vice president of team operations.
In addition, the Suns great has been known in the American professional basketball circles for his easy-going and elegant style.
When Jr. and Diaw first reported to the team, it was Alwan Adams who served as their mentor on the inside. When Grant Hill joined the team, Alvaro Adams told the management that he could take off the dusty No. 33 jersey over the arena and unblock it to give it to the journeyman he admired so much.
It is important to know that the Suns had cancelled the ceremony of retiring the jersey at that time and awarded the Ring of Honor instead, which shows the superhuman temperament of Alwan Adams and his immense concern for the home team Sun.
- Stoudemire
In the first five years of the new century, a large number of talented and elite players chose to join the NBA in high school, and the league thus set off the trend of high school draft. 2002 draft night, the Phoenix Suns pressed the treasure of the No. 9 pick on inside player Amare Stoudemire, who became the 16th high school player in NBA history to enter the NBA through the draft.
The Suns are truly unique in their vision of first round picks. As we all know, Jr. overshadowed Yao Ming, the top draft pick in the same year, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2002-03 season, the third player in Suns history to be named Rookie of the Year.
During Marbury’s tenure, the Suns’ record was very disappointing, and the only surprise for the fans was the steady growth of the two youngsters on the team, Marion and Jr. It didn’t take long for Jr. to become the best face-up power forward in the league.
After the summer of 2004, Nash joined the team and gave the Suns a new lease on life. The Suns were reborn after the summer of 2004 with the addition of Nash. The talent of Jr. was fully activated by the arrival of this outstanding partner. Watch Nash thread the needle, and the king of the small bullying power to split the Chinese business. After the start of the small-ball game, the nimble and mobile Xiao Si from the power forward to the center position, and Nash to form the league’s most intimidating blocking partner, together with the joint performance for five years of the Phoenix wild play.
In the summer of 2010, the Suns, who hadn’t made it past the Western Conference playoffs in a long time, couldn’t keep Jr. who was determined to make it to the Big Apple.
From growing up to fame to leaving, Jr. has been selected as an All-Star 5 times & 1 time 1-Team & 4 times 2-Team during his eight years with the Suns. Currently, Jr. ranks 8th & 3rd on the Suns’ all-time scoring list with 11,035 points & 4613 rebounds respectively.
After joining the New York Knicks in 2010-11, Jr. was a force on several occasions, blasting 30+10 in 9 consecutive games and being selected as a second-team and All-Star.
The performance of Jr. in his debut season with the Knicks proved that even without Nash, he could still crush the world with his dominant nature.
But with the loss of Nash as an efficient partner and the outstanding blessing of the Sun Doctor, Jr.’s “Achilles’ heel” became more and more exposed. The following year, the small Si began to frequent injury plague and rapid decline.
- Barkley
In July 1992, the Phoenix Suns sent a three-man package of Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Long to Philadelphia in exchange for Barkley, the best power forward in the league at the time.
Barkley’s arrival greatly complemented the Suns’ interior strength, making this long-time playoff-bound veteran team truly morph into a championship contender. In the 1992-93 season, Barkley seamlessly integrated into the system, averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists per game, and won the MVP, helping the Suns to a team record of 62 wins and 20 losses, and reached the finals that season.
The 1993 Western Conference finals, Suns vs Supersonics, was the most classic game in Suns history. That night, Barkley came through and led the Suns to the Finals with a 44-point, 24-rebound performance.
In his four seasons with the Suns, Barkley averaged 23.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 caps per game, and was selected as a four-time All-Star, a first-team All-Star and a three-time second-team All-Star.
In 2001, Barkley’s #34 jersey was retired by the 76ers, and in 2004, the Suns retired his #34 jersey.
As an uncrowned star, it is a testament to the professional attitude and great ability of the “Flying Pig” that he has received the highest courtesy from two different teams.
- Kevin Johnson
The great point guard master Jason Kidd & Steve Nash was his replacement; the god of war Iverson considered him the first predecessor to destroy himself in the NBA game; he enjoys the “Black Lightning” such a grungy nickname …… such a description, even if He’s not just a fan, he’s not just a fan.
Kevin Johnson, the true progenitor of the offensive point guard, is probably the last century Willis who did not grab the rebound & body glassed a little. As early as the early 90s, young Kevin Johnson had three consecutive seasons of 20+10 data, the league point guard only this one and no other number.
In addition to the traditional virtues of a top point guard, such as speed, accurate jump shot, open vision, and good organization, the 1.85 meter tall KJ also often staged explosive knockdown foul shots, refreshing the fans’ perception of the No. 1 player.
After being selected as the No. 9 pick in the 1987 draft, Kevin Johnson played half a season for the Cavaliers before being traded to the Suns, where he played until his retirement at age 34.
He led the Sun to the playoffs for 11 consecutive years and teamed up with Barkley to reach the finals in 1992-93, fighting to the death against the King Bulls. Although he ultimately failed to bring a championship to Phoenix, that did not stop Kevin Johnson from becoming a symbolic figure in Suns history as a city hero.
He ranks third on the team’s all-time scoring list with 122,747 points and second on the team’s all-time assists list with 6,518. In addition, in his 12 years with the Sun, KJ has been selected as a three-time All-Star, four times a two-teamer and a three-teamer, and has won one MIP, averaging 35.2 minutes per game, 18.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.5 steals. Even in the current basketball era, where the pace is 30% faster, this is a very good star level point guard statistic.
The overly physical style of play left KJ injured early on, and he was only able to guarantee about half of his regular season attendance in the later years of his Sun career. In his retirement season, KJ’s role was more of a mentor to Kidd & Nash, plus his dominant offensive basketball was too impressive for Phoenix, which indirectly led to the Sun maintaining a tradition of relying on organizational guards for the past 30 years.
- Nash
Before the 1996 Draft kicked off, the situation in front of the Sun was still a mess, and the team only had 15# picks in hand. When the draft came to the Sun, the team made a decision that surprised and booed Phoenix fans by selecting Steve Nash, a white Canadian guard from the obscure university of Santa Clara who looked bland and was criticized in scouting reports for his defense.
Then-owner Colangelo had to sound off after draft night to reassure fans: “We all felt the best player out of the remaining players we could have drafted was Steve Nash.”
If there was a God’s perspective + time machine, what I would say to Colangelo is: Be bold, let loose, you have picked the most perfect point guard ever on the offensive end.
Two years into his rookie year, Nash, who practiced with the Sun, is slowly showing starting potential. Maverick Hall of Famer Nelson, who greatly admired Nash, offered a sizable trade package to bring him to Dallas. The latter grew into an all-star + triple-team level point guard during his Dallas years.
The story that followed will not be unfamiliar to most fans coming from the new century. When Nash’s contract with the Mavericks expired, owner Cuban chose not to renew Nash’s contract after mistakenly believing a team doctor’s report that his career might be declining rapidly due to a back injury.
The former home team, the Sun, offered a sincere contract of ten million dollars a year to welcome back the All-Star point guard they had single-handedly selected to return to the nest.
The Nash, who is a master of passing and shooting, is the engine that the mustache coach has been looking for for years; this coincides with the introduction of the NO-hanchek rule, which is a godsend.
Under Nash’s leadership, the Phoenix Sun started a brand new era, reaching the Western Conference three times in seven seasons. In his second career in the Sun, Nash achieved the feat of back-to-back MVPs, three consecutive 1s and two 2s.
The gorgeous music of the seven-second small ball whirlwind is the exciting basketball impression brought to the fans of the 80-90 generation by the Phoenix Suns; regarding the soul of the Phoenix Suns, I believe most fans will naturally think of the long-haired, forward-pushing Nash.
In the last Suns home game, what kind of love did the Phoenix fans show for the greatest player in the team’s history?
The chants of “We want steve” (we want Steve to stay) were like a landslide and never stopped. Meanwhile, signs like “It is ok, you can go, Nash” were held high by many fans.
The Phoenix fans are not willing to accept the reality that Nash may not end up in the Sun, and they can’t bear to think of the regret that Nash will not have a title for life.
For more NBA news about Suns jerseys and players , find the HONOR JERSEY store.