The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in 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.
Jerry Colangelo is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, and the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. He was also instrumental in the relocation of the original Winnipeg Jets team in the NHL to Phoenix to become the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2014, Grand Canyon University renamed its Christian based school of business after Jerry Colangelo, replacing Ken Blanchard's namesake. From December 2015 to April 2016, Colangelo served as chairman of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, before serving as a special advisor to the team until December 2018.
Paul Douglas Westphal was an American basketball player and coach.
Igor Stefan Kokoškov is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Miles Julian Simon is an American basketball coach and former player who recently served as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Simon was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1997 NCAA tournament, leading the Arizona Wildcats to the national championship. As a professional, he played briefly in the NBA and then for several domestic leagues around the world.
Tavares Montgomery Williams is an American professional basketball coach, executive, and former player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who is the head coach of the TMI Episcopal’s boys basketball team. He previously served as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Williams played for five NBA teams during a playing career that spanned from 1994 to 2003. His NBA coaching career has included stints as an assistant coach, associate head coach, and head coach.
James Dixon Mays is an American-born naturalized Central African former professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He represented the Central African Republic at the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship.
Cody Arlyn Toppert is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Capital City Go-Go team in the NBA G League.
Jia Dorene Perkins is an American retired professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. She announced her retirement after the 2017 season when the Lynx won the WNBA championship. She was born in Newburgh, New York. She moved to Granbury, Texas, where she attended Granbury High School.
Tyrone Ellis is an American-Georgian professional basketball coach and former player. He is 1.93 m tall and played as a shooting guard. He was the first head coach named for both the Northern Arizona Suns and the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League.
Kevin Young is an American basketball coach and former player who is head coach of the Brigham Young University (BYU) men's basketball team. Young has held various coaching roles at the professional, minor league, and collegiate levels in the United States and in other countries. Immediately prior to joining the Cougars, Young was associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim Arsenal in 2006, before relocating to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2009, becoming the Springfield Armor. After five seasons in Springfield, the franchise moved to Grand Rapids in 2014 and were subsequently renamed the Grand Rapids Drive, before changing their name again to the Gold in 2021.
Patrick Mutombo is a Congolese professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In his playing career, he was a Division II All-American college player at Metropolitan State University and played professionally in several countries, most notably in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A.
The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play as the Long Beach Jam in 2003 under the revived American Basketball Association and moved to Bakersfield in the D-League in 2006 as the Bakersfield Jam. After ten years in Bakersfield, California, the franchise was moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona, in 2016 by the Phoenix Suns and were subsequently renamed the Northern Arizona Suns. In 2021, the team relocated to Detroit after being purchased by the Pistons.
Nate Bjorkgren is an American basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of South Dakota and Buena Vista University. He was previously an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns from 2015 to 2017 and the Toronto Raptors from 2018 to 2020. He was the head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the 2020-2021 season.
The 2017–18 Phoenix Suns season was the 50th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 25th season at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. It was also their third season in five in which the Suns earned a top-five draft pick in the NBA draft, which became the second straight year of gaining the #4 pick in Josh Jackson.
The 2018–19 Phoenix Suns season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 26th season at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. They finished with 19 wins to 63 losses, the franchise's worst regular season record since the inaugural season 1968–69.
Ty Jeremy Jerome is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers, where in 2019 he was the starting point guard on their national championship team. Jerome was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA draft but was traded to the Phoenix Suns.
The 2019–20 Phoenix Suns season was their 52nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 27th season at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, later being considered the last season playing under that name. At the conclusion of their previous season, the Suns made James Jones the team's permanent general manager, with co-interim general manager Trevor Bukstein returning to his prior assistant general manager role. With a 19–63 season over, their entire coaching staff, including head coach Igor Kokoškov, was dismissed on April 23, 2019. After a quick head coaching search, the Suns hired former New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans head coach and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams as the team's new head coach on May 3, later completing their new coaching staff on June 26. After the first seven games, despite an early 25-game long suspension to star center Deandre Ayton, the Suns had their best start to a season since the 2013–14 season, and best point differential since the 2004–05 season.
Quinton Crawford is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He recently served as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, and then started his career as video coordinator and assistant coach.
