The Pittsburgh Rens were an American basketball team based in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961–1962.
74-725: The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961 – 1962 , and part of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The founder of the ABL, Abe Saperstein , was the owner of the Harlem Globetrotters , who had competed for many decades against the New York Rens and eventually bought the rights to the Rens' name. Because of the Pittsburgh Renaissance urban renewal project, it
148-570: A Conference finals series since the 1993 season. The Suns lost games five and six by a combined 25 points and were eliminated from the series on June 3. Under coach D'Antoni, the Suns popularized the fast break offense known as 7 seconds or less , which was later published in a book written by Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum . Though criticized for a supposed lack of defense, the Suns specialized an efficient offense designed to quickly get off shots that made regrouping on defense difficult for
222-609: A Pacific Division title in 1995, the Suns were eliminated in consecutive Western Conference Semifinal rounds by the Houston Rockets , both series going a full seven games. Manning was rarely at full strength with the Suns, injuring his ACL in 1995 just before the All-Star break. In both years, the Suns led the series by two games at one point (2–0 in 1994, 3–1 in 1995) only to see the Rockets come back to win each series. At
296-462: A championship. 11 Hall of Famers have played for Phoenix, while two — Barkley and Nash — won NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) while playing for the team. Additionally, their Gowdy Award Winning radio announcer Al McCoy is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history. The franchise began play in 1968 as an expansion team . Though their early years were mired in mediocrity, their fortunes changed in
370-404: A fight promoter, had fruitlessly sought to obtain an NBA franchise for Pittsburgh before turning to the ABL. At the time of the announcement of the team, plans were in motion to play at the under-construction Pittsburgh Civic Arena . However, the NBA had announced plans to expand to Pittsburgh and Chicago, with that new franchise in line to have better playing dates at the new arena. Litman was on
444-597: A game six loss, the Suns won the series in the seventh game on their home court at US Airways Center , winning by a margin of 20 with an NBA record fifteen 3-point FGs on May 22, 2006. They went on to play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals as underdogs. The Suns took game one in Dallas by a single point and their May 30 victory in game four marked the most wins for the franchise in
518-460: A group that bought the team from its owners for $ 44 million at the start of the 1987–88 season, a record at that time. With a drug scandal and the loss of promising young center Nick Vanos , who was killed in the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 , the franchise was in turmoil both on and off the court. The Suns' luck began to turn around in 1988 with the acquisition of Kevin Johnson from
592-552: A mere $ 200. In the 1968 NBA expansion draft , notable Suns' pickups were future Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale . Jerry Colangelo , then a player scout, came over from the Chicago Bulls , a franchise formed two years earlier , as the Suns' first general manager at the age of 28, along with Johnny "Red" Kerr as head coach. Unlike the first-year success that Colangelo and Kerr had in Chicago, in which
666-717: A playoff berth, the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals after acquiring Chris Paul , who formed a quartet with their young core of Devin Booker , Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges . In 2023, the Suns acquired 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal . The Suns own the NBA's fifth-best all-time winning percentage , and have the second highest winning percentage of any team to have never won an NBA championship . Eleven Hall of Famers have played for Phoenix, while two — Barkley and Nash — won NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) while playing for
740-477: A public enterprise, the investor Donald Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, and Richard L. Bloch . Other owners with a minority stake consisted of entertainers, such as Andy Williams , Bobbie Gentry and Ed Ames . There were many critics, including then-NBA commissioner J. Walter Kennedy , who said that Phoenix was "too hot," "too small," and "too far away" to be considered a successful NBA market. This
814-434: A quartet with their young core of Devin Booker , Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges . In 2023, the Suns acquired 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant and three-time All-Star Bradley Beal . The Suns own the NBA's fifth-best all-time winning percentage , have the second highest winning percentage of any team to have never won an NBA championship , and have the most NBA Finals appearances (three) without
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#1732783901741888-527: A sign-and-trade deal to the Atlanta Hawks , in which the Suns got Boris Diaw and two future first-round picks. Other acquisitions included Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas . Despite the turnover in players, the Suns again won the Pacific Division , going 54–28 and capturing the second seed in the Western Conference. Nash was awarded a second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award , becoming
962-574: A three-pointer in the closing seconds. In the Western Conference finals, the Suns played the San Antonio Spurs , who won the series 4–1, ending Phoenix's season, partly due to Joe Johnson missing the first two games of the series. Johnson went on to start the remaining games where he averaged 40 minutes per game and 18.3 points per game. The Suns lost the first two at home, as well as the following game in San Antonio to fall behind 3–0 in
1036-711: A triple-overtime game in game three, making this and their previous game five in the 1976 series the only triple-overtime games in the history of the NBA Finals. Approximately 300,000 fans braved the 105° heat to celebrate the memorable season in the downtown streets of Phoenix after the Finals had ended. The Suns continued to be successful in the regular season, going 178–68 during the 1992–93 , 1993–94 , and 1994–95 seasons. They continued to bolster their roster by adding players such as A.C. Green , Danny Manning , Wesley Person , Wayman Tisdale , and Elliot Perry . Despite
1110-565: The Cleveland Cavaliers , along with Mark West and Tyrone Corbin , for All-Star power forward Larry Nance and Mike Sanders. This was the beginning of a franchise-record 13 consecutive playoff appearances. All-Star Tom Chambers came over from the Seattle SuperSonics (the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history), 1986 second-round draft pick Jeff Hornacek continued to develop, and "Thunder" Dan Majerle
1184-593: The Dallas Mavericks after being traded from Phoenix six years earlier), and returned into playoff contention. With Nash, Shawn Marion , and Amar'e Stoudemire , and under head coach Mike D'Antoni , the Suns became renowned worldwide for their quick, dynamic offense, which led them to tie a franchise record in wins in the 2004–05 season. Two more top two Conference placements followed, but the Suns again failed to attain an NBA championship, and were forced into another rebuild. After ten consecutive seasons without
1258-451: The MVP award that 1992–93 season . In addition to Barkley, the Suns added key players to their roster, including Danny Ainge and draftees Arkansas center Oliver Miller and forward Richard Dumas (who was actually drafted in 1991 but was suspended for his rookie year for violating the NBA drug policy). Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal , a former Suns assistant and player with
1332-526: The MVP award that season. Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion were named All-Stars and first-year coach Mike D'Antoni was named NBA Coach of the Year . In the 2005 NBA playoffs , Phoenix was the first seed in the Western Conference. The Suns swept the Memphis Grizzlies , 4–0, and defeated the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the second round, 4–2, as Nash forced game six into overtime with
1406-848: The National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference . They are the only team in their division not to be based in California . The Suns play their home games at the Footprint Center . The Suns are one of three major league sports teams based in the Phoenix area, but are the only one to bill themselves as representing the city (the Cardinals and Diamondbacks both bill themselves as representing
1480-679: The National Basketball Association after being named, but not criminally charged in the 1961 point shaving scandal while he played at the University of Iowa . He averaged 27.6 points 13.2 rebounds in his 94 game Rens' career. Later Hawkins would play for the Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association and was ruled eligible by the NBA to play for the Phoenix Suns in 1969. Hawkins
1554-470: The 1970s after partnering Dick Van Arsdale and Alvan Adams with Paul Westphal . The team reached the 1976 NBA Finals , in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, after failing to capture a championship, the Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s, until the acquisition of Kevin Johnson in 1988. Under Johnson, and after trading for perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley , and combined with
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#17327839017411628-663: The 1976 Suns in the NBA Finals, the Suns won 62 games in 1992–93 , setting a franchise record. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the eighth-seeded Lakers, coming back from a 0–2 deficit in the five-game series. The Suns then eliminated the Spurs and SuperSonics, advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. They eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls, led by eventual Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen . The series also included
1702-449: The 1990s, and reached the 1993 NBA Finals . However, the team would again fail to win a championship, and entered into another period of mediocrity until the early 2000s. In 2004, the Suns signed free agent Steve Nash (who had blossomed for the Dallas Mavericks after being traded from Phoenix six years earlier), and returned into playoff contention. With Nash, Shawn Marion , and Amar'e Stoudemire , and under head coach Mike D'Antoni ,
1776-542: The 2002–03 season, during which the Suns posted a record of 44–38 and returned to the playoffs. Marbury had a successful individual season, making the All-NBA Third Team and being selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns were eliminated in the first round once again by the San Antonio Spurs; a six-game series with the eventual NBA champions. In the 2003–04 season , the Suns finished out of
1850-426: The 2022–23 season, having called all three NBA Finals appearances for the franchise (in 1976 , 1993 , and 2021 ). Colangelo called Al McCoy "the greatest salesman for the game of basketball in our entire state" and said that "he had as much to do with the success of the Suns as any player, coach or manager". The 1975–76 season proved to be a pivotal year for the Suns as they made several key moves, including
1924-569: The All-Star Game in the previous two seasons (Chambers, Johnson, Hornacek, and Majerle), the Suns swept the San Antonio Spurs in three games in the first round of the 1992 NBA playoffs . The Suns then were defeated in five games to the Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals. The series was punctuated by a game four in which the Suns lost in double overtime 153–151 (the highest-scoring game in NBA playoff history to date). That game
1998-572: The Bulls finished with a first-year expansion record of 33 wins and a playoff berth (plus a Coach of the Year award for Kerr), Phoenix finished its first year at 16–66, and finished 25 games out of the final playoff spot. Both Goodrich and Van Arsdale were selected to the All-Star Game in their first season with the Suns. Goodrich returned to his former team, the Lakers, after two seasons with
2072-749: The Coliseum, defeating Phoenix in game six, 87–80. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Suns enjoyed several successful seasons including the 1981 Pacific Division title, making the playoffs eight consecutive seasons including an appearance at the 1984 Western Conference finals. Problems arose on and off the court in the mid-1980s. In 1987, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug-related charges, three of whom were active Suns' players James Edwards , Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick . These indictments were partially based on testimony from star player Walter Davis , who
2146-421: The Suns became renowned worldwide for their quick, dynamic offense, which led them to tie a franchise record in wins in the 2004–05 season. Two more top two Conference placements followed, but the Suns again failed to attain an NBA championship, and were forced into another rebuild. After ten consecutive seasons without a playoff berth, the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals after acquiring Chris Paul , who formed
2220-545: The Suns used their 15th pick for Santa Clara guard Steve Nash . During his first two seasons in the NBA, he played a supporting role behind star point guards Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson . After the Barkley trade, the Suns began the 1996–97 season 0–13, a franchise record for the worst start. During the 13-game losing streak, Fitzsimmons stepped down as the coach and was replaced by former player Danny Ainge. After an on-the-court altercation between Ainge and Horry, Horry
2294-503: The Suns went on to win three straight games. With 7:33 left in the fifth game, Suns guard Raja Bell grabbed Bryant around the neck and threw him down as the Lakers' star drove to the basket. Bell earned a technical foul, his second of the game, and an automatic ejection. The Suns took game six in overtime, their first overtime win all season, despite 50 points from Bryant and Bell out serving a one-game suspension with last-second help from mid-season acquisition Tim Thomas . On their home court,
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2368-507: The Suns won game seven 121–90, eliminating the Lakers for the first time since 1993. The Suns are 1 of 9 teams in NBA history to win a playoff series after being behind 3–1. In the second round, the Suns faced the Los Angeles Clippers . The series was played closely, with both teams trading games on each other's courts. The series was 2–2 and the Suns were behind in game five before coming back and won in double overtime. After
2442-408: The Suns would rebuild around Walter Davis for a majority of the 1980s, until the acquisition of Kevin Johnson in 1988. Under Johnson, and after trading for perennial NBA All-Star Charles Barkley , and combined with the output of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle , the Suns reached the playoffs for a franchise-record thirteen consecutive appearances and remained a regular title contender throughout
2516-403: The Suns' return to the NBA's elite, finishing with the best record at 62–20, and tying a franchise record set by the 1992–93 team. They set a team record for greatest one-season improvement at 33 games. During the off-season, the Suns signed unrestricted free agent All-Star point guard Steve Nash from Dallas, who had formerly played for the Suns at the beginning of his career. Nash went on to win
2590-488: The Suns, but Van Arsdale spent the rest of his playing days as a Sun and a one-time head coach for Phoenix. The Suns' last-place finish that season led to a coin flip for the number-one overall pick for the 1969 NBA draft with the expansion-mate Bucks. Milwaukee won the flip, and the rights to draft UCLA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), while Phoenix settled on drafting center Neal Walk from Florida . The 1969–70 season posted better results for
2664-479: The Suns, finishing 39–43, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The next two seasons ( 1970–71 and 1971–72 ), the Suns finished with 48- and 49-win seasons, but did not qualify for the playoffs in either year, and did not reach the playoffs again until 1976. The major draw for the franchise in this era was the dramatic play of Connie Hawkins. This era was also marked by
2738-512: The abandoned expansion team. That effort died when St. Louis Hawks owner Ben Kerner dismissed the notion and Litman chose to stay in the ABL. Litman hired Neil Johnston as the team's coach, just weeks after he had resigned from that same capacity with the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors . On April 22, Litman announced that the team would be known as the Pittsburgh Renaissance, or Rens for short. His stated reason for choosing
2812-530: The arrival of longtime Suns play-by-play and Naismith Hall of Fame announcer Al McCoy , hired by Jerry Colangelo before the start of the 1972–73 NBA season . Soon locally renowned as "the Voice of the Suns", his broadcasts were simulcast on both television and radio from 1972 until 2003 when he became exclusive to the Suns Radio Network. He was still broadcasting Suns home games on radio as of
2886-457: The ball to half-court, and once the Suns had possession, Garfield Heard made a buzzer-beating turnaround jump shot to force a third overtime. The Suns' hard-fought battle was short-lived, as Boston's reserve player Glenn McDonald scored six of his eight points in the third overtime to lead the Celtics to a 128–126 win. Boston eventually won the series in six games, clinching the championship at
2960-434: The best start in team history), then went 4–18 during a stretch where the team sustained several injuries (including Dick Van Arsdale breaking his right arm in a February game). The Suns then went 24–13 in the final 37 games to finish 42–40, clinching their first playoff spot since 1970. The Suns faced the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, winning the series four games to two, and beat
3034-676: The better part of 20 years (a Phoenix Roadrunners team played in the World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977) until the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League relocated from St. Louis in 1988. The Suns played their first 24 seasons at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum , called the "Madhouse on McDowell", located slightly northwest of downtown Phoenix. The franchise was formed by an ownership group led by Karl Eller , owner of
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3108-434: The court. As the Suns entered the 2000 playoffs, they beat the higher-seeded San Antonio Spurs 3–1 in the best-of-five series. The Spurs were without their best player Tim Duncan throughout the whole series. However, even with the return of Kidd in the next round, the Suns fell to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in a 4–1 series. The Suns continued to make the playoffs until the 2001–02 season when they fell short for
3182-434: The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals, four games to three, to advance to their first NBA Finals. The Suns faced an experienced Celtics team, led by eventual Hall of Famers Dave Cowens , John Havlicek and Jo Jo White . Game five of the 1976 NBA Finals took place at Boston Garden , where the Suns came back from a 22-point first-half deficit to force overtime. Havlicek made what
3256-492: The end of the 1994–95 season , Phoenix general manager Bryan Colangelo , the son of Jerry, initiated an eventually costly trade, sending the All-Star Majerle and a first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for John "Hot Rod" Williams . Majerle was a fan favorite in Phoenix and in the Suns' locker room. The trade was made to address the Suns' need of a shot-blocking center but Majerle's presence
3330-532: The first time in 14 years. That season marked the trade of Jason Kidd to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury . With the resultant high draft pick, the Suns were able to draft Amar'e Stoudemire . The 2002–03 campaign saw the emergence of Stoudemire, a graduate of Cypress Creek High School (Orlando, Florida) . He became the first high school-drafted player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year for
3404-486: The name was because, "I wanted to choose a name applicable to the rebirth of Pittsburgh." The shortened version also had some basketball history attached to it, since a New York team had that nickname decades earlier. On October 2, 1961. the Rens opened their first training camp at Pitt Pavilion , the former home of the Pittsburgh Panthers college basketball team. Following a preseason schedule, they opened
3478-407: The off-season prior to the 2000 NBA season, the Suns traded for perennial All-Star Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway , creating the tandem of Kidd and Hardaway called "Backcourt 2000". However, the combination of Hardaway and Kidd was never fully realized as Hardaway missed several games during the middle of the 1999–2000 season and Kidd broke his ankle going into the playoffs just as Hardaway returned to
3552-600: The off-season trade of former All-Star guard Charlie Scott to the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard Paul Westphal , a member of Boston's 1974 championship team . They also drafted center and eventual fan favorite Alvan Adams from the University of Oklahoma and guard Ricky Sobers of UNLV . The Suns and Buffalo Braves made a midseason trade, with Phoenix sending forward/center John Shumate to Buffalo in exchange for forward Garfield Heard . Phoenix had an inconsistent regular season, starting out at 14–9 (then
3626-459: The opening round of the playoffs. This set up a rematch of the 2005 Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The series saw the Spurs defeat the Suns in six games, in what many called "the real finals" of the 2006–07 season. The Spurs went on to win the championship that year. On June 6, former TNT TV analyst and NBA three-point specialist, Steve Kerr , was appointed Suns' general manager and president of basketball operations. Kerr
3700-484: The opposing team. The Suns entered the 2006–07 season aiming to win the first championship in franchise history. From November 20 to December 22, the Suns posted a 15-game win streak, followed almost immediately with a 17-game win streak from December 29 to January 28. On March 14, the 49–14 Suns met the 52–10 Dallas Mavericks in a match-up where both teams were fighting for the top seed in the Western conference and Nash
3774-442: The output of Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle , the Suns reached the playoffs for a franchise-record thirteen consecutive appearances and remained a regular title contender throughout the 1990s, and reached the 1993 NBA Finals . However, the team would again fail to win a championship, and entered into another period of mediocrity until the early part of the 2000s. In 2004, the Suns signed free agent Steve Nash (who had blossomed for
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#17327839017413848-581: The playoffs after starting the season 0–10 or worse, and one of the few to make the playoffs after experiencing a 10-plus-game losing streak during the regular season. With Kidd starting at point guard, Nash was traded to the Mavericks in June 1998 in exchange for Martin Müürsepp , Bubba Wells , the draft rights to Pat Garrity , and a future first-round draft pick (later used to select Shawn Marion ). In
3922-659: The playoffs with a 29–53 record. The Suns made a blockbuster mid-season trade sending Marbury and Hardaway to the New York Knicks for Antonio McDyess and a future first round pick that was later dealt to Denver. The beginning of 2004 saw the departure of the face of Suns 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 for $ 401 million. The 2004–05 season marked
3996-609: The regular season on Nov. 5 at the Civic Arena against the Cleveland Pipers. Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Connie Hawkins, "The Hawk," was signed on September 19, 1961. Hawkins went on to win the ABL Most Valuable Player for the 1961-1962 season, as the Rens finished 23-19. Hawkins averaged 27.5 points and 13.3 rebounds. Hawkins was 19 years old in 1961. He had been initially banned by
4070-711: The same time, the start of the league was pushed back to October 1961. Those two expansion teams were announced on May 10, 1960, with the locales in Pittsburgh and Portland, with future possibilities in Honolulu, Salt Lake City and Vancouver. That changed in October 1960, when Honolulu replaced Portland in the eight-team circuit. The Rens were owned by Ray (aka Archie), Eugene and Lenny Litman, prominent Pittsburgh businessmen brothers, along with local insurance executive Oscar (Sparky) Adams. Ray Litman, who had made his mark as
4144-400: The season and replaced by Fitzsimmons, his third stint as head coach. The office unrest led to turmoil in Barkley's relationship with Jerry Colangelo, who both spurned each other publicly. This led to Barkley being traded to Houston for Sam Cassell , Robert Horry , Mark Bryant , and Chucky Brown . Three of the four players were not with the franchise one year later. In the 1996 NBA draft ,
4218-424: The season, two games behind the Lakers who won the division. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Suns lost to the Spurs in five games, the first time they did not advance past the first round in the D'Antoni-Nash era. Some have attributed this to the mid-season acquisition of aging former MVP Shaquille O'Neal for four-time All Star Shawn Marion. Though O'Neal was brought in as a physical presence to match with
4292-476: The second point-guard, after Magic Johnson , to win the award in consecutive seasons. Also, Diaw was named NBA Most Improved Player . The Suns began the 2006 Western Conference Playoffs as favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers . After winning the first game in Phoenix, they found themselves trailing in the series 3–1 after impressive performances by Lakers' shooting guard Kobe Bryant . However,
4366-481: The series, before winning game four at San Antonio 111–106. The team then lost game five at home 101–95 to be eliminated from the playoffs. Stoudemire averaged 37.0 points per game during the series against the Spurs, the highest ever by a player in the Western Conference finals. The 2005–06 NBA season began with Stoudemire undergoing microfracture surgery in his knee on October 18, 2005, missing all but three games that season. Shooting guard Joe Johnson also demanded
4440-406: The state of Arizona). The franchise began play in 1968 as an expansion team . Though their early years were mired in mediocrity, their fortunes changed in the 1970s after partnering Dick Van Arsdale and Alvan Adams with Paul Westphal . The team reached the 1976 NBA Finals , in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. However, after failing to capture a championship,
4514-471: The team. Additionally, their Hall of Fame radio announcer Al McCoy is the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history. The Suns were one of two franchises to join the NBA at the start of the 1968–69 season, alongside the Milwaukee Bucks from Milwaukee . They were the first major professional sports franchise in the Phoenix market and in the entire state of Arizona, and remained the only one for
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#17327839017414588-566: The verge of moving the team to Houston when Pittsburgh's proposed NBA owner John H. Harris dropped out less than 24 hours after he'd been chosen by the league. Saying that he knew nothing about basketball, Harris was embarrassed when his belief that Boston Celtics guard Bill Sharman would coach his team was quickly denied by Sharman. Sharman ended up coaching the ABL Cleveland Pipers in 1961-62. NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff made an effort to entice Litman into taking over
4662-489: Was also a part of the Sarver-led investment group that purchased the franchise from Jerry Colangelo . His first off-season signing was former Orlando Magic small forward Grant Hill on a one-year $ 1.8 million deal with a player option for a second season at $ 2 million. Hill, who was previously considered injury-prone, played in the majority of games over the next four seasons as a starter. The Suns finished 55–27 on
4736-465: Was among 28,000 entries that were formally chosen in a name-the-team contest sponsored by The Arizona Republic , with the winner awarded $ 1,000 and season tickets for the inaugural season. Suns was preferred over Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars. Stan Fabe, who owned a commercial printing plant in Tucson, designed the team's first iconic logo for
4810-408: Was convenient to coin the "Rens" as an instantly-recognizable name for this new version of a basketball team. When the official announcement of the league was made on April 21, 1960, the original plan was to begin play with six teams in the latter portion of 1960 and add two expansion teams the following year. However, in order to give more time for organizing the league and have all teams beginning at
4884-610: Was despite the fact that the Phoenix metropolitan area was growing rapidly, and the Suns would have built-in geographical foes in places like in San Diego , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Seattle . After continual prodding by Bloch (who became president of the Phoenix Suns), in 1968 the NBA Board of Governors granted franchises to Phoenix and Milwaukee on January 22, 1968, with an entry fee of $ 2 million. The Suns nickname
4958-632: Was drafted with the 14th pick in the 1988 draft . Kurt Rambis was added from the Charlotte Hornets in 1989, and the team upset the Los Angeles Lakers in five games during the playoffs that season, before falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. In 1990–91 , the Suns went 55–27 but lost in the first round to the Utah Jazz , 3–1. In 1991–92 , the Suns went 53–29. Having sent four players to
5032-405: Was given immunity . No defendants ever went to trial: two of the players went into a prosecution diversion program, while another received probation. Nevertheless, the scandal, although now perceived in many respects to be a witch hunt tarnished the reputation of the franchise both nationally and within the community. The scandal did provide an opening for general manager Jerry Colangelo to lead
5106-505: Was going for his third consecutive MVP award against Dirk Nowitzki . Though the Suns won the game in double overtime, the Mavericks would finish with the West's top seed at 67–15, and Nowitzki would narrowly win the MVP award ahead of Nash. While the Mavericks were upset in the first round by the eight-seed Golden State Warriors, the 61–21 Suns defeated Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in five games in
5180-777: Was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. All of the Rens' home games were played in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena . The arena closed in 2010 and was demolished. 1961 in sports 1961 in sports describes the year's events in world sport. Men's professional Men's amateur Women's professional Steeplechases Flat races Australia England France USA Davis Cup Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona . The Suns compete in
5254-412: Was missed and Williams's production never met expectations due to injuries. The 1995–96 season was a disappointing year for the Suns, despite drafting NBA All-Rookie First Team member Michael Finley , who became unavailable for the playoffs due to injury. The Suns posted a 41–41 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs . Westphal was fired midway through
5328-465: Was supposed to be a game-winning basket, but due to fans rushing the floor before time officially expired, officials put one second back on the clock with Phoenix having possession of the ball, but under their own basket. Instead of attempting a desperation heave, the Suns' Westphal intentionally called a timeout that they did not have, a technical foul, giving the Celtics a free throw, which Jo Jo White converted to put them up 112–110. However, this advanced
5402-598: Was the last Suns game ever played at the Coliseum . In 1992, the Suns moved into their new arena in downtown Phoenix, the America West Arena . The arena is occasionally referred to as the "Purple Palace" due to its purple seats, one of the Suns' colors. All-Star power forward Charles Barkley was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang , and Tim Perry . Barkley went on to win
5476-401: Was traded to the Lakers for former Sun and NBA all-star Cedric Ceballos . Cassell was later traded to Dallas for all-star guard Jason Kidd . With a mostly small lineup, the Suns put together an 11-game win streak that put them in the playoffs as the seventh seed , in a series that almost upset the favored Sonics. Despite the loss in the playoffs, the Suns became one of the few NBA teams to make
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