The Phoenix Suns are as much about their playing roster as they’re about the front office. As late Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause had infamously said, “Players and coaches alone don’t win championships; organizations do.” So in the case of the Suns, it is the trio of owner Robert Sarver, GM James Jones, and President Lon Babby.

In the 2020-21 dream run of the Phoenix franchise, many names saw glorious mentions. While Chris Paul suddenly entered the MVP conversations, it was coach Monty Williams who fell just 11 points short of winning the coach of the year recognition. But there was one man, backed by LeBron James, who won the Executive of the Year award. 

James Jones responded to his endorsement from LeBron James

LeBron James, in his 18-year NBA career until now, has played for three franchises and alongside various greats. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving are some of the notable names who’ve shared the big stage with Bron. Yet, the King has James Jones as his favorite teammate ever.

In an interview, retired baller Rex Chapman asked Jones about the qualities that make one a great teammate. Perhaps the Akron Hammer considered the same pointers when he tagged Jones as a great team player.

The 40-YO Suns executive who spent seven years with Bron (Heat & Cavs), first chuckled at the mention of Bron and later detailed, “just being a great teammate is, I just look for guys that care man. Guys that care about winning, guys that care about their teammates having success. If you have a high care factor, that’ll take you a long way.”

Turns out Bron didn’t applaud Jones for no reason. In June, the Suns GM won 9/30 first place votes and cemented the accolade of best executive. 

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Phoenix Suns GM’s undeterred faith in his men

If James Jones’ words speak for the Suns’ mentality, it seems like they’re sure to lift the NBA title. In the same interview, he had expressed, “I look at winning titles is stacking games, stacking wins. On a nightly basis, we can beat any team in the NBA and we just need to do that four times out of seven. I do believe we can do that. That’s not to say we can dominate teams, but I do believe we’re in those moments , we’re good enough.”

They have DeAndre Ayton’s old school game, Devin Booker’s mid-range scoring, and Chris Paul’s leadership. Throw in a performing bench in Cameron Johnson & Cameron Payne and the Suns can truly defeat any team. 

Though James Jones did not enjoy a great individual career, his team spirit got him multiple titles and enough recognition. Do you see him winning his first title as an executive now? Help us know in the comments below.

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