A Look Back at When the Phoenix Suns Won the NBA Championship

In this blog post, we take a look back at when the Phoenix Suns won the NBA Championship in 1993. We’ll also give you some fun facts about the team and the players.

The Early Years

The Phoenix Suns came into the NBA as an expansion team in 1968. They struggled in their early years, only winning 29 games in their first season. They slowly improved and made the playoffs for the first time in 1975, but lost in the first round. The Suns finally broke through in 1993 when they won the NBA Championship.

The Suns Begin

The Suns began play as an expansion team in 1968. The franchise was founded by a group of investors who paid an entry fee of $2 million to join the NBA. The Suns were assigned to the Western Division of the NBA’s newly created Pacific Conference.

The First Few Seasons

The Suns began play as an expansion team in 1968. In their first few seasons, they struggled to find their footing, winning just 24 games in their inaugural season. However, they gradually improved, culminating in a 49-win season in 1971-1972. Led by young star guard Connie Hawkins, the Suns made their first playoff appearance in 1972. They would go on to make the playoffs seven times in the next nine seasons.

The Championship Run

On June 3rd, 1993, the Phoenix Suns made NBA history. They became the first team to ever win an NBA championship as a #6 seed. On their journey to the title, they had to face some of the best teams in the league. They started off by defeating the #3 seed, the San Antonio Spurs. Then, they went on to beat the #2 seed, the Portland Trail Blazers. Finally, they faced the #1 seed, the Chicago Bulls. They were able to defeat all of these teams and win the NBA championship.

The Suns Rise

In the summer of 1993, the Phoenix Suns made a blockbuster trade, acquiring star player Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia
76ers. The move would prove to be a defining moment in the history of the franchise.

With Barkley in the fold, the Suns went on to have one of their best seasons in team history. They compiled a 62-20 record,
good for first place in the Pacific Division. Barkley was named the league’s MVP, and the Suns cruised to the Western
Conference Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

The following season, the Suns once again reached the Conference Finals, this time losing to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston
Rockets. Despite coming up short in their quest for an NBA title, it was clear that the Suns were one of the league’s elite
teams.

In 1995-96, Phoenix finally broke through and won its first NBA championship. Led by Barkley and head coach Paul Westphal,
the Suns defeated Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway’s Orlando Magic team in six games. It was a historic moment for
the franchise and its fans, who had waited 28 years for an NBA title.

The Championship

In the NBA, winning the championship is the ultimate goal. For the Phoenix Suns, they were able to achieve that goal in the 1990-91 season. Led by head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, the Suns put together a 62-20 regular season record. That record was good enough for them to claim the top spot in the Western Conference.

In the playoffs, the Suns got past the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the first round. They then took down the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in round two. The next stop was the Western Conference Finals where they would take on the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns were able to take care of business and defeated the Lakers in six games.

That set up a matchup with the Eastern Conference Champion Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. The Suns and Bulls would go back and forth throughout the series. After six games, it was all even at three games apiece. In game seven, it would be down to wire but ultimately, it would be the Suns who came out on top by a final score of 99-98. With that win, they were crowned NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history.

After the Championship

It had been a long time since the city of Phoenix had won an NBA championship. The Suns had come close a few times, but always fell short. In the year 2000, that all changed. Led by their star player, Steve Nash, the Suns won the NBA championship.

The Post-Championship Years

The Suns made it back to the NBA Finals in 1993, but lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. After that, the team began a gradual decline. They made the playoffs six more times between 1994 and 2000, but never advanced past the Western Conference Finals. In 2001, they suffered their first losing season since 1987 and missed the playoffs entirely.

The team experienced a resurgence in the mid-2000s led by All-Star point guard Steve Nash. Nash won consecutive MVP awards in 2004 and 2005, and the Suns made it back to the Western Conference Finals in 2005 and 2006. However, they were unable to get past the San Antonio Spurs and once again failed to win an NBA Championship.

After Nash left the Suns in 2012, the team struggled for several years before finally bottoming out in 2018 with a league-worst record of 21-61. They have shown signs of improvement since then, but have yet to return to their former glory.

The Suns Today

Since winning the NBA Championship in 1993, the Phoenix Suns have been back to the Finals once, in 1995, losing to the Chicago Bulls in six games. In the years since, they’ve had some great teams and some not-so-great teams. The Suns made the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010, but haven’t been back since. They’ve had some great players over the years, including Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion. The Suns are currently in a rebuild, with young players like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton leading the way.