- 1968
- 1987
- 1994
- 2004
- 2004 - 2005
-
Phoenix Team Formation
The Suns were one of two franchises to join the NBA at the start of the 1968 – 1969 season, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks. They were the first major professional sports franchise in the state of Arizona and would be the only one for twenty years until the Cardinals of the National Football League relocated from St. Louis in 1988. ... -
Colangelo New Owner
In 1968, he left the Bulls and was hired as the first general manager of the expansion team, the Phoenix Suns. He was the youngest general manager in professional sports. When he and his family left for Arizona, he had $200 in his wallet. General manager Jerry Colangelo lead a group that bought the team from its owners for $44 ... -
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Talking Stick Resort Arena (formerly America West Arena and US Airways Center) is a sports and entertainment arena in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It opened on June 6, 1992, at a construction cost of $89 million. Renovations were completed in March 2003, which feature a 16,000-square-foot air-conditioned glass-enclosed atrium built on the northwest side of the arena, to keep patrons cool ... -
New Owner Robert Sarver
The beginning of 2004 saw the departure of the face of Sun’s management since the team’s inception when Jerry Colangelo announced that the Phoenix Suns were to be sold to an investment group headed by San Diego-based business executive (and Tucson native) Robert Sarver. A lifelong sports fan, Sarver’s quest to purchase an NBA team began with a conversation with ... -
Nash wins back-to-back MVPs
The 2004 – 2005 season marked the Suns’ return to the NBA’s elite, finishing with the best record at 62–20, and tying a franchise record set by the 1992 – 1993 team. This was a major improvement from its 29-53 record just the season before. They ended up setting a team record for the greatest 1-season improvement, 33 games. This ...
History of the Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division and are the only team in their division not to be based in California. Since 1992, the Suns have played their home games at Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix.
The Suns began to play as an expansion team in 1968. The franchise owns the NBA’s fourth-best all-time winning percentage, winning 55 percent of its games, as of the end of the 2014 – 2015 season. In 47 years of play, they have made the playoffs 29 times, posted 19 seasons of 50 or more wins, made nine trips to the Western Conference Finals, and advanced to the NBA Finals twice, in 1976 and 1993. As a result, based on their all-time win-loss percentage, the Suns are the team with the highest winning percentage to have never won an NBA championship.
Established
1968
City
Phoenix
League History
1968 – Present / National Basketball Association
Team History
1968 – Present / Phoenix Suns
Nickname
Suns – The Suns nickname was among 28,000 entries that were formally chosen in a “Name the Team” contest sponsored by the Arizona Republic; the winner was awarded $1,000 and season tickets to the inaugural season. Suns was preferred to Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars.
Championship
NBA Championships 0
Arena
2015 – Present / Talking Stick Resort Arena
2006 – 2015 / US Airways Center
1992 – 2006 / America West Arena
1968 – 1992 / Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Owner
2004 – Present / Robert Sarver
1987 – 2004 / Jerry Colangelo
1968 – 1986 / Karl Eller, Andy Williams, Bobbie Gentry and Ed Ames
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
5 / Dick Van Arsdale
6 / Walter Davis
7 / Kevin Johnson
9 / Dan Majerle
13 / Steve Nash
24 / Tom Chambers
33 / Alvan Adams
34 / Charles Barkley
42 / Connie Hawkins
44 / Paul Westphal
– / Jerry Colangelo
– / Cotton Fitzsimmons
– / John MacLeod
– / Joe Proski
*Blue is this team’s history