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The Phoenix Suns are coming off their third appearance in the NBA Finals in franchise history, but like the other two, they came out second best. Of course, there should be no shame in losing to the 1970s Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, and arguably the most dominant player since Shaquille O'Neal in Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks.
However, some of the players that have been on the losing end of those series would definitely agree that those NBA Finals' series were lost by small details. The 1976 NBA Finals, for instance, had a memorable, triple-OT Game 5 that could've sent the series either way.
The 1993 NBA Finals went to six games and saw another triple-OT game and a championship-winning shot in Game 6 with 3.9 seconds left by John Paxson.
5 Players who came close to winning an NBA title with the Phoenix Suns but failed to do so
Moreover, the 2021 NBA Finals saw one of the greatest individual performances in league history by Giannis Antetokounmpo. While it might be normal to lose those series, it is clear that Phoenix Suns fans will not be as accepting of those realities.
However, with a franchise that has had great, MVP-caliber players in its history, having no NBA championships can make it straightforward for us to select the best players in Phoenix Suns' history.
Our criteria for the upcoming list will not only take into consideration the greatest overall players in the history of the Phoenix Suns, but also those who came closest to touching the Larry O'Brien trophy while wearing the Phoenix Suns' uniform (not including current players).
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#5 Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson had a stellar NBA career and all but 52 of his 735 career games came with the Phoenix Suns. Despite what many might think about KJ's career and where he ranks among the greatest point guards ever, he was a borderline superstar with the Phoenix Suns.
Johnson's career started in 1987 and finished in 2000. To give you an idea of what he was up against, here are some of the names that were in the All-NBA squads during that period: Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Mark Price, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, just to name a few.
With the Phoenix Suns, from 1988, Johnson made it to three All-Star games and five All-NBA teams. He was the starter of the 1992-93 Phoenix Suns' offense, which made it to the 1993 NBA Finals. Throughout the 1993 NBA Playoffs, Johnson averaged around 18 points, eight assists and two steals per game.
#4 Alvan Adams
Alvan Adams was not considered a superstar during his time in the NBA, but he certainly had a huge impact on the Phoenix Suns' run to the 1976 NBA Finals. He came extremely close to winning the franchise's elusive first NBA title.
Adams' resume isn't all that impressive as he made it to only one All-Star Game, earned one All-Rookie selection and won the 1975-76 Rookie of the Year award. However, all of those honors came in the same season, and the Phoenix Suns finished two wins away from beating the Boston Celtics in an iconic 1976 NBA Finals series.
Adams averaged 19 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the 1975-76 regular season. He then put up 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in the 1976 NBA Playoffs. Adams also led the team in scoring in the NBA Finals with 23 points per game, along with 10.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
#3 Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Stoudemire's run of greatness with the Phoenix Suns was massively connected to Steve Nash's presence. Stoudemire's time with the franchise helped him establish himself as one of the best forwards in the Suns' history.
Injuries got in his way and arguably prevented him from becoming an even better power forward, but Stoudemire's run with the Phoenix Suns was huge.
He played with the team from 2002 to 2010, making it to five All-Star games and earning four All-NBA selections during his stint with the Phoenix Suns. Moreover, he was a member of three teams that made it to the Western Conference Finals but could not reach the NBA Finals.
In eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Stoudemire averaged 21.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in the regular season. In the NBA Playoffs, he put up 24.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game for the Phoenix Suns.
In the 2007 Western Semis, Stoudemire was the victim of a weird suspension for leaving "the immediate vicinity of the bench" during an altercation between the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix. This ultimately hindered the Suns' chances of advancing to the WCF.
#2 Steve Nash
Steve Nash is almost certainly the greatest player in the Phoenix Suns' history, not only due to his skill and impact on the franchise but also for the sustained level of greatness in his career with the team.
Nash started his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns in 1996 and returned to Phoenix after a six-season stint with the Dallas Mavericks. In his first two seasons back with the Phoenix Suns, Nash won consecutive NBA MVPs.
In the 2004-05 season, Nash also led the Phoenix Suns to the best record in the NBA (62-20, best in franchise history). Nash's Suns made it to consecutive Western Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006, but fell to the San Antonio Spurs and Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks, respectively.
The Suns returned to the WCF in 2010, but Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers eliminated them en route to back-to-back NBA titles.
#1 Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley was the NBA MVP during the 1992-93 NBA season, his first season with the Phoenix Suns. It was a campaign that ended with Phoenix trying (and failing) to stop Michael Jordan and the Bulls' dreams of a first Three-Peat.
Barkley led the team to a league-best 62-20 regular-season record and thus earned home-court advantage for the entire NBA Playoffs. In the Western Conference Finals, Barkley had one of the greatest performances in a Game 7 in NBA history. He put up 44 points and 24 rebounds against the Seattle SuperSonics, and sent the Suns to the NBA Finals.
Barkley was huge in the NBA Finals too, battling to get the Phoenix Suns back in the series after they lost the first two games at home.
He averaged 27.3 points, 13 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the 1993 NBA Finals. However, Barkley's best hopes of an NBA title ended with John Paxson's game-winning shot in Game 6 and Michael Jordan's greatest performance in an NBA Finals series.
Guess the Lakers players!
