While the trade doesn't greatly boost Nance's ranking, it should be noted that his dominance made him valuable enough to be traded for much of the core of Phoenix's great 1990s teams. During that clutch time criteria, Fox, 25, led the league in scoring at 5.0 points per game and shot 52.9% from the field, 31.8% on 3-pointers and 86% on free throws. Marion was considered a valuable two-way player that helped the Phoenix Suns mid-2000s era of success work with a smaller and faster lineup. Stats: 30.1 PPG, 22.9 RPG, 4.4 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959-60 to 1964-65), Philadelphia 76ers (1964-65 to 1967-68) and Los Angeles Lakers (1968-69 to 1972-73). 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Rather than being too small to play power forward and too slow and offensively limited to play small forward, Robinson was strong enough to dominate bigger guys on the glass and had the shooting and ball-handling ability to tear up wing defenders. Accomplishments: 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive team, 2007-08 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, five-time NBA champion. Steve Nash is not as easy a choice for No. They may retire, but the sun never sets for the Phoenix Suns best players. Stats: 17.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Washington Capitols (1950-51) and Boston Celtics (1951-52 to 1960-61). Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 2006 Finals MVP, 2010 All-Star MVP, 2008-09 scoring champ, three-time NBA champion. Coach: Cotton Fitzsimmons (you cant go wrong with John MacLeod, Paul Westphal, or Mike DAntoni, but Fitzsimmons led the team to top 10 finishes in both offense and defense from 1989-1992), All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .551, Your email address will not be published. Regardless, their all-time team is one of the most fun in our tournament, and will present match up problems for their first round opponent. A big issue will be the defensive performance of their starting lineup. WebComplete listing of all NBA Players and team rosters. He made the All-Defensive team with Phoenix twice, and as a result, helped lead the Suns twice out of Round 1 and once to the Western Conference finals. Imagining AllTime Suns as Football Players. Stats: 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG, 4.3 APG in 13 seasons with Boston Celtics (1956-57 to 1968-69). Stats: 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG in 13 seasons with New York Knicks (1967-68 to 1976-77) and Cleveland Cavaliers (1977-78 to 1979-80). If not for injury problems, Stoudemire would not only be higher on this list; he would likely unseat Barkley. time One of the first great stars for the Suns was forward Walter Davis.The fifth overall pick in the 1977 NBA draft by Phoenix, Davis played the first eleven seasons of his career with the Suns from 1977-1988.He won the 1978 Rookie of the Year and was named to the 1978 All-Rookie First team. On the surface, Charlie Scott looks like one of the greatest Suns of all time. Mark West is a return to the Gar Heard-model with a little Paul Silas thrown in. When you add on his final five seasons, Adams vaults up to No. Building All-NBA Playoff 1st and 2nd Teams So Far Unfortunately, Phoenix has not yet been able to break through, twice losing in the Finals. Accomplishments: Six-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 Rookie of the Year. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 MVP, 1991-92 Defensive Player of the Year, 1989-90 Rookie of the Year, 1993-94 scoring champ, 1990-91 rebounding champ, 1991-92 blocks champ, two-time NBA champion. Stats: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.6 APG in 20 seasons with Milwaukee Bucks (1969-70 to 1974-75) and Los Angeles Lakers (1975-76 to 1988-89); NBA's career leader in total points. While the league has not yet announced the winner of the Michael Jordan Trophy, the finalists are Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1950-51 Rookie of the Year, 1952 All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1956 NBA champion. Stats: 17.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.8 APG in 11 seasons with Boston Celtics (1970-71 to 1979-80) and Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83). Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1974 Finals MVP, eight-time NBA champion. Phoenix made the 2021 NBA Finals with Booker as their best overall player. Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG in 11 seasons with Milwaukee/St. Nash is also one of 10 players to win back-to-back NBA MVP Awards, doing so in 2005 and 2006. Rookie seasons can be deceiving. Top-20 Biggest NBA Rivalries Ever Stats: 7.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.8 APG in 14 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1986-87 to 1992-93), San Antonio Spurs (1993-94 to 1994-95), Chicago Bulls (1995-96 to 1997-98), Los Angeles Lakers (1998-99) and Dallas Mavericks (1999-2000). Based on tenure, productivity and versatility, that's a good enough resume right there to crack the top 20 of this list. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has held the NBA's all-time scoring record since 1984. In just four seasons in the desert, Charles Barkley indisputably established himself as one of the top three Suns' players of all time, and has a legitimate case to be No. Though he sadly wasnt able to enter the NBA until he was 27, he still made a great impact on the Suns, and was named to the All-NBA first team in his first year with the franchise. Some of the players who are often considered among the greatest of all time include: Michael Jordan: Jordan is widely considered the greatest NBA player of The Top 10 Suns of all time! The NBA's 75th anniversary team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives. Exciting. In recent years, a star studded Phoenix Suns roster, led by Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton, took the team to the NBA Finals in 2021. Dolph Schayes held the record from 1958 to 1964. Another great player on the early 2000s Suns teams was power forward Shawn Marion.Yet another ninth overall pick in the draft, the Suns took Marion with that pick in the 1999 edition.His first nine seasons in the league came with the Suns (1999-2008), and he was named to the All-Rookie Second team after his first season.Moreover, he made four All-Star teams (2003, 2005-2007) and two All-NBA teams (2005, 2006) during his time there. Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.4 APG in 16 seasons with New Orleans Hornets (2005-06 to 2010-11), LA Clippers (2011-12 to 2016-17), Houston Rockets (2017-18 to 2018-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20) and Phoenix Suns (2020-21)*. Dwyane Wade Top 10 Best Phoenix Suns Players of All Time - rookieroad.com Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive team, 1968-69 scoring champ, two-time rebounding champ, 1978 NBA champion. Stats: 21.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.8 APG in 16 season with San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968-69 to 1971-72; 1981-82 to 1983-84) and Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972-73 to 1980-81) . 25 25. We have the latest results, as well as series-by-series schedules and streaming info below. Nash led the Suns from a secondary playoff team fighting to stay in, to a title contender often contending for the one seed. Phoenix had Chambers on the roster for three of his four career All-Star appearances. Stats: 23.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.8 APG in 18 seasons with Denver Nuggets (2003-04 to 2010-11), New York Knicks (2010-11 to 2016-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-18), Houston Rockets (2018-19), Portland Trail Blazers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. LeBron James becomes the NBA's all-time leader in playoff Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 1992-93 MVP, 1991 All-Star MVP, 1986-87 rebounding champ. Cameroon-born Embiid (the league's leading scorer), Serbia's Jokic Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, 2016-17 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, three-time assists champ. Amare Stoudemire, one of the great pick-and-roll big men ever in his prime, is the starting center. The Phoenix Suns franchise changed when Steve Nash joined in free agency after a great Dallas Mavericks stint. You might have seen the articles being passed around over the last several weeks. This dilemma of which attribute to call Paul Westphal's best is exactly why he posted 50 win shares in five seasons with the Suns. Sunday's schedule. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts. Among active players, Andre Iguodala is second Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1976-77 scoring champ. Barkley was among the best players in the world every season in Phoenix with an All-Star appearance and all-NBA selection every year. Louis Hawks (1954-55 to 1964-65). On the Suns all-time leaderboards, Davis ranks number one in points scored (15,666), number five in free throws made (2,557), number four in assists (3,340), number three in steals (1,040), and number two in games played (766).Davis also helped the Suns reach the playoffs in seven straight seasons, twice losing in the Conference Finals (1979, 1984).While he may not have made it into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Davis helped to bring some success to the Suns and helped set them up as a great team going forward. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1972-73 MVP, 1973 All-Star MVP, 1970-71 Rookie of the Year, two-time NBA champion. Stats: 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG in 12 seasons with Boston Celtics (1957-58 to 1968-69). The greatest player of all time. Whether early in his Suns' career as a sixth man or later on as a starter, Dan Majerle was an integral part of both Phoenix's offense and defense, helping his team to make the playoffs during all seven of his seasons. For a fifth straight year, the NBA's Most Valuable Player award will go to someone born outside of the United States. For his Suns career, he had a cumulative .606 true shooting percentage. Still on the search for their first championship, the Phoenix Suns have had some fantastic players who have been the greatest in franchise history. The Phoenix Suns are one of the NBA teams still searching for their first NBA Championship victory. They entered the NBA in 1968 and have had their fair share of winning seasons. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive team, 2017 All-Star MVP, three-time blocks champ, 2020 NBA champion. Who are the best Phoenix Suns of all time? He played the most games (988) and minutes (27,203) in team history as well as grabbed the most rebounds (6,937), dished out the third most assists (4,012), registered the most steals (1,289), and scored the second most points (13,910).While his career may not have been Hall of Fame worthy, he certainly is one of the best Suns ever. In that time, he made the 1976 All-Star team, 1976 All-Rookie First team, and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1976.That same year, in 1976, he led the Suns to their first Finals appearance, where they ultimately lost to the Celtics. Both won Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.1 BPG in 18 seasons with Houston Rockets (1984-85 to 2000-01) and Toronto Raptors (2001-02); NBA's career leader in total blocks. "only" comes in at No. However, the Suns only made the NBA Finals once under Barkley and zero times with Nash. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1968 All-Star MVP, 1967 NBA champion. Bill Sharman - All-Time Boston Celtics. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG in 15 seasons with Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1958-59 to 1972-73). Even though Nash and Mike DAntoni were more responsible for the fast-paced innovative offense, the Suns needed Amare to step up scoring for it to work. The career of Devin Booker is still going, but hes already in the top tier of all-time Phoenix Suns players. The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. 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Such is life for a championship-less franchise. Personally, I always considered them to be an offensive-minded franchise, but that has not always been the case, as seen in their year-by-year ranks in offensive and defensive rating: Sure, theyve had more years where they were dominant on the offensive side of the ball, but they have had periods where they were able to compete at a high level defensively, as well. Stats: 17.0 PPG, 15.6 RPG, 3.3 APG in 11 seasons with Cincinnati Royals (1963-64 to 1969-70), San Francisco Warriors (1969-70 to 1970-71) and New York Knicks (1971-72 to 1973-74). The second is his playoff legacy. Adams went on to put up impressive numbers long after his rookie year. The playing career of Westphal featured his best success in Phoenix making four All-Star appearances and receiving four all-NBA selections each. WebPhoenix Suns All-Time Players. 1st Team Guard: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns 2 of 10 Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images Devin Booker has been flat-out amazing this postseason. The big man averaged 19.2 points and 8.6 rebounds during his tenure with the Suns, but more impressive than that were his 56.8 FG percentage, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocks. Stats: 21.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.0 BPG in 14 seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1989-90 to 2002-03). 1 as one might think. Stats: 18.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.9 APG in 13 seasons with Baltimore Bullets (1967-68 to 1971-72) and New York Knicks (1971-72 to 1979-80). Stats: 23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1965-66 to 1966-67; 1972-73 to 1977-78) and Houston Rockets (1978-79 to 1979-80); also played four ABA seasons with Oakland Oaks (1968-69), Washington Capitols (1969-70) and New York Nets (1970-71 to 1971-72). Focus on Sport/Getty Images On April 5, 1984, Abdul-Jabbar received an entry pass from Magic Johnson. Doubling as the greatest Sunof all time, Steve Nash is certainly the greatest guard in Suns history.A point guard, Nash played ten total seasons across two different stints (1996-1998, 2004-2012) with the team. Charles Barkley is widely considered (no pun intended) the greatest Phoenix Suns' power forward by a long shot, but Amar'e Stoudemire makes the debate closer than one might believe. The 13-time All-Star joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James in inking a lifetime contract with Nike. On an episode of Throwing Bones in December, Green listed his top five players of all time, and Curry ranked fourth on the list. Nance was especially great during his final season in the desert, averaging 22.5 points. NBA player How Many Championships Does Michael Jordan Have? Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG in 12 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1966-67 to 1974-75), Washington Bullets (1975-76 to 1976-77) and Boston Celtics (1977-78). DeAndre Ayton, 24 4. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1955 All-Star MVP, four-time NBA champ. Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, two-time MVP, four-time All-Star MVP, two-time scoring champ, 1958 NBA champion. Time will see these numbers go up, but Booker currently has three All-Star appearances and one all-NBA selection. Paul Westphal, Barkleys former coach, was once quoted as saying, next to Shaq, Charles may have been the worst player in history at defending the pick-and-roll. Stoudemire and Nash were poor defenders as well. Accomplishments: 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive team, 1999-2000 MVP, 1992-93 Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Star MVP, three-time Finals MVP, two-time scoring champ, four-time NBA champion. During his first 10 seasons with the Suns, the PG averaged 19.8 points, 10.0 assists and 1.6 steals on 49.7 percent FG shooting and 83.9 percent FT shooting. Throughout all six of Jeff Hornacek's seasons with the Suns, he was a great passer and a pest on defense. Accomplishments: 12-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 1950-51 rebounding champ, 1955 NBA champion. Their teams featured talented stars like Kevin Johnson, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, but ultimately, not even outstanding players like Nash and Barkley could push the Suns over the proverbial hump. In 15 games in the 2005 playoffs, he averaged 29.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG, shot 53.9% from the field, and had a 27.6 PER. Even on a franchise that has seen so much incredible two-way play and do-it-all-ness, Shawn Marion's versatility stands out. During his seven full seasons in Phoenix, Marion averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 82.9 from the line. Suggestions? As one of the greatest shooters in team history, Joe Johnson would be at least three spots higher on this list if not for the terms under which he left the desert. Johnson felt like the perfect piece to pair with Charles Barkley that continued his run even after Barkleys departure. NBA player Your email address will not be published. The normally offensively-inclined Chambers continued to play as a two-way postseason force, twice more leading the Suns to the third round and once helping them reach the NBA Finals. Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG in 14 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1996-97 to 2006-07; 2009-10), Denver Nuggets (2006-07 to 2008-09), Detroit Pistons (2008-09) and Memphis Grizzlies (2009-10) . The Best Phoenix Suns of All Time - Ranker Westphal was a superstar in his prime, making the all-NBA first team three out of four years from 1977-1980 (and making the second team the other year), and leading the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance in 1976. Stats: 16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.2 APG in 17 season with Chicago Bulls (1987-88 to 1997-98; 2003-04), Houston Rockets (1998-99) and Portland Trail Blazers (1999-00 to 2002-03).