The Phoenix Suns check in at No. 11 in the Panini America 30 Teams | 30 Weeks NBA countdown to the most collectable NBA teams of all-time.
The Suns have been home to some of the game’s greatest players including Charles Barkley, Connie Hawkins, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Johnson. Ten Suns players have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The club may still be looking for its first NBA championship, but the organization has enjoyed a lot of success in the desert. In only their eighth season, led by Dick Van Arsdale, Paul Westphal and Hawkins, the Suns made their first trip to the NBA Finals. The Suns fell to the Boston Celtics in a hard fought 4-2 series.
The foundation of its next run of success was built around Walter Davis, Johnson, Barkley, Tom Chambers and Dan Marjerle. A 13 consecutive season playoff run included another trip to the NBA Finals in 1993, led by NBA MVP Barkley. The Suns won an impressive 62 games in the regular season. The Chicago Bulls prevailed in the Finals to win their third championship in a row.
During the early 2000s, the Suns were led by Steve Nash who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Grant Hill, Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire were also part of the team in this period. The fast break-style offense made the team an athletic force among and one of the NBA’s elite teams for several seasons.
The club may still be looking for its first NBA championship, but the organization has – for the most part – enjoyed success in the desert, and owns the league’s second highest winning percentage of any team not to yet win an NBA title.
Check out the Suns all-time lineup below and click on each card to see if they are available for purchase on the Beckett Marketplace. And if you’re looking for the latest Panini NBA products, you can find them on their website.
