Phoenix Suns 2022: News, Schedule, Roster, Score, Injury Report

The Phoenix Suns compete in the NBA as a part of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The Suns are the only team in their division not based in California. In the ongoing 2021-22 season, they are currently table-toppers, at the time of writing.

Over the years, the Suns have stayed intact with their logos, and the current design is just the fourth different one in the team’s long history. The Phoenix Suns word mark is placed beneath an orange basketball that is emblazoned on a sun-like structure. 

The Phoenix Suns have been playing their home games at the Footprint Center.

Who owns the Phoenix Suns?

Real Estate giant Robert Sarver currently owns a major stake in the Phoenix Suns franchise. Sarver is an avid sports fan who also controls a soccer franchise based in Spain called, ‘RCD Mallorca.’

Sarver deeply pursued to buy the Suns and finally got what he wanted for a record-breaking deal of $401 million. It was a humongous sum in the 2000s, but Forbes now values the Phoenix Suns franchise at $1.625 billion. 

Head Coach and Top Executives

Former NBA player Monty Williams serves as the current Head Coach of the Suns. Williams was hired in 2019 after his predecessor Igor Kokoskov was fired from his role after just a year due to his poor winning record. 

Monty Williams played for several franchises as a player and worked as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers too. Furthermore, Williams guided his team to an unbeaten run in the NBA bubble for which he was bestowed with a special honor. 

Similar to Monty Williams, the Suns’ General Manager James Jones is also an ex-NBA player. In fact, Jones won three championships as a player, two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Suns hired Jones into the role in 2019 after he was initially the Vice President of Basketball Operations. Jones played in Phoenix for two seasons, where he averaged 7.8 points per game. 

Furthermore, Jason Rowley is the President and the CEO of the Suns franchise. He is responsible for managing all business operations. Rowley has been a part of the franchise for several years and earned his way up in the ranks. 

History

The Phoenix Suns came into existence by 1968 when they joined the NBA as an expansion team. The early years proved woeful, as is the case with any franchise in its building years. 

However, their fortunes took a quick rise when the Suns astonishingly reached the NBA Finals in 1976. The legendary Pat Riley was a playing member in that Suns roster, along with Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams, who formed to be the foundational blocks of the franchise. 

The team emerged to become regular playoff contenders in the 80s and the 90s, but could never get past the conference finals until 1993. Charles Barkley joined the team in 1992 and immediately clinched the regular season MVP whilst guiding the team to the NBA Finals. 

Barkley ranks as one of the Suns’ most important players as he stole most of the limelight in the 90s era. Ending without a trophy is still one of the biggest shortcomings in Barkley’s glorious career. 

The 2000s decade saw the Suns enduring a bumpy ride in the postseason. They looked to be a talent-filled team from 2004-07 when spearheaded by 2x NBA MVP Steve Nash. But the merry ride for the Suns ended way back in 2010, as that stands to be their last ever playoff appearance. 

The franchise has missed out on competing in the postseason for nearly a decade, and it has got their loyal fans stepping on their toes. Despite their disappointing string of failures lately, the Suns boast a positive winning percentage, one of the best in NBA history. In the 2021 campaign, the Suns came very close to clinching their first title, but narrowly missed out in the Finals.

Phoenix Suns: Mascot and Uniform

After eleven seasons without a mascot, the Phoenix Suns got one who has now become one of the most popular ones in the NBA. He is an entertaining gorilla who has been the official mascot since 1980. It started out when a simple fan sent a telegram through a man named Henry Rojas, who arrived in a gorilla costume. 

After achieving his duty, Rojas was about to head back home when the security asked him to stay back and showcase a few moves. He instantly became a favorite and was asked to appear at home games and entertain the fans. The rest is history! 

As for their uniforms, the Suns display their primary colors: purple, orange, black, gray, yellow in all their jerseys. The team typically wears purple “Icon” edition Nike uniforms and orange “Statement” editions. 

Team’s Sponsors

PayPal is the main sponsor of the Phoenix Suns, earning the rights to endorse through jersey patches. Both parties agreed on a massive multi-year deal that has been running since 2017. 

Besides PayPal, the Phoenix Suns have set up partnerships with several other companies like McDonald’s, KIA, Verizon, Adidas, and Gatorade, to name a few. 

History and Achievements 

Phoenix Suns 2021-22 roster