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. During his four seasons in Phoenix, Robinson not only averaged 16.4 points on 45.7 percent FG shooting and 37.1 percent three-point shooting, but he also averaged over a steal and block per game. Among active players, Andre Iguodala is second with 26. Any longtime Phoenix fan will ultimately think of Westphal among the most important figures for having two drastic levels of success. 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Johnson felt like the perfect piece to pair with Charles Barkley that continued his run even after Barkleys departure. Kevin Johnson was a dynamic playmaker who has a legitimate Hall-of-Fame case. Hornacek was eventually traded for Charles Barkley, but is forever a Phoenix legend, remembered as one half of the Suns' best backcourt of all-time (alongside Kevin Johnson) and one of the most efficient scorers of his generation. 9. Only five other players have ever had a 50-40-90 season, and Nash averaged that over eight years in Phoenix, all while being the most dangerous passer in the NBA by a mile. 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. Full of brilliant play makers. Count Walter Davis among that latter groupalthough the swingman did go on to have a fantastic career, averaging 20.5 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 84.1 from the line during his 10 years with the Suns. Kevin Durant becomes 3rd NBA player to sign lifetime deal with Nike The 13-time All-Star joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James in inking a lifetime contract with Nike. Ranking the Top 25 Players in Phoenix Suns History 1. 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. Louis Hawks (1954-55 to 1964-65). Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.7 APG in 17 seasons with Seattle SuperSonics (1990-91 to 2002-03), Milwaukee Bucks (2002-03), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04), Boston Celtics (2004-05) and Miami Heat (2005-06 to 2006-07). Unfortunately for Scott, his Suns' teams never appeared in the postseason, and it was in fact the Boston Celtics team that he was traded to in 1975 that beat Phoenix in the NBA Finals the very next season. 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. Charles Barkley, the teams first MVP, who led the franchise to its second NBA Finals appearance, is the starting power forward. The All-Time Phoenix Suns team is exactly what youd expect them to be. Stats: 23.9 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.3 APG in nine seasons with New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2012-13 to 2018-19) and Los Angeles Lakers (2019-20 to 2020-21)*. Accomplishments: Five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, 1974-75 MVP, 1972-73 Rookie of the Year, three-time scoring champ, two-time NBA champion. Notes: - These stats were updated on April 8, 2023. Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time assists champ, two-time MVP. It has been 25 years since the league unveiled its list of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, which tipped off a season-long celebration of the NBA's 50th anniversary in 1996. The 13-time All-Star joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James in inking a lifetime contract with Nike. The Phoenix Suns trusted Kevin Johnson to be one of the most important figures in franchise history. 5 Knicks vs. No. Accomplishments: Four-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, 1967 NBA champion. Stats: 26.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG in 10 NBA seasons with San Antonio Spurs (1976-77 to 1984-85) and Chicago Bulls (1985-86); also played four ABA seasons with Virginia Squires (1972-73 to 1973-74) and San Antonio Spurs (1973-74 to 1975-76). Chambers became a pivotal part of the core with his best season featuring a shocking 27.2 points per game. Accomplishments: 13-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1974 Finals MVP, eight-time NBA champion. Johnson rarely put up superstar stats, but his presence helped the Suns during arguably their best time as a contender. Jerry Sloan - All-Time Chicago Bulls. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, 1971 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 assists champ. Barkley's regular season numbers23.4 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.6 SPG on 50.1 percent shootingare those of a hard-working, efficient, physically dominant, unselfish player. Not only did Heard hit the biggest shot in team history during the 1976 NBA Finals, but he may have been the biggest reason they got there, averaging 13.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.9 blocks throughout the playoffs. He also shot an unparalleled 51.0 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from deep and 91.2 percent from the line. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, five-time All-Defensive team, 1969 Finals MVP, 1972 All-Star MVP, 1969-70 scoring champ, 1971-72 assists champ, 1972 NBA champion. Accomplishments: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1985-86 scoring champ. 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. Stats: 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5 APG in 14 seasons with Boston Celtics (1950-51 to 1962-63) and Cincinnati Royals (1969-70). Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, 1995 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. That, along with his absurd numbers, place him in the conversation for best offensive PG of all-time. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 Rookie of the Year, five-time assists champ, 2011 NBA champion. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Walter Davis, the franchises all-time leading scorer, will also see heavy minutes as the best shooter (outside of Nash) on the team. DeAndre Ayton, 24 4. They may retire, but the sun never sets for the Phoenix Suns best players. How Many Championships Does Michael Jordan Have? Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG in 16 seasons with Philadelphia 76ers (1984-85 to 1991-92), Phoenix Suns (1992-93 to 1995-96) and Houston Rockets (1996-97 to 1999-00). Accomplishments: 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 2000-01 MVP, two-time All-Star MVP, 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, four-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ. Stats: 13.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.4 APG in 10 seasons with Portland Trail Blazers (1974-75 to 1977-78), San Diego/LA Clippers (1979-80 to 1984-85) and Boston Celtics (1985-86 to 1986-87). Accomplishments: Six-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, 2012-13 Rookie of the Year. 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. Ed Macauley held the record for 39 days in 1958, the shortest in NBA history. After spending the first part of his career in Philadelphia with the 76ers, Barkley came to Phoenix in 1992.He would play four seasons with the Suns (1993-1996), and he made the All-Star teams and an All-NBA team each of those years.He also was named the Most Valuable Player of the league in 1993.That same year, he led the Suns to the Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan. Chris Paul has only spent a few years with the Phoenix Suns so far, but he has made a huge impact. Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG in 18 seasons with Phoenix Suns (1996-97 to 1997-98; 2004-05 to 2011-12), Dallas Mavericks (1998-99 to 2003-04) and Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13 to 2013-14). 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. The Phoenix Suns franchise changed when Steve Nash joined in free agency after a great Dallas Mavericks stint. During that time, he also was named to the All-NBA team, was named the 1993 MVP, and had the third-highest game score average in team history. While the team ultimately came up short in the 1993 Finals, Chambers' skills and leadership played a key role in getting them there. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). Mark West is a return to the Gar Heard-model with a little Paul Silas thrown in. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA championships, winning six Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP honors Cameroon-born Embiid (the league's leading scorer), Serbia's Jokic Who Are the Best Phoenix Suns Basketball Players of All Time? Land of Basketball is a fan website, for official NBA information visit National Basketball Association's website. 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. A big issue will be the defensive performance of their starting lineup. Accomplishments: 14-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive team, five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, 1984-85 Rookie of the Year, 10-time scoring champ, three-time steals champ, six-time NBA champion. Like Johnson, Bell was a deadly outside shooter, and in fact drained far more threes (578 to 335) at a higher percentage (41.9 to 39.6). Historically, the Suns featured a high flying offensive attack. Dig in below for a deep dive on the best 75 of all time. Stats: 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG in 13 seasons with Detroit Pistons (1981-82 to 1993-94). Accomplishments: Eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, 1955 All-Star MVP, four-time NBA champ. Accomplishments: 17-time All-Star, 17-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, 2007-08 scoring champ, 2019-20 assists champ, four-time NBA champion. Theres little drop off to the guards on the bench. Twice he led the Suns out of the first round, averaging 20.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks during the playoffs. 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.
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