The Phoenix Suns had a homecoming of sorts on Saturday night at the Footprint Center.
At halftime of a 112-107 win over the Indiana Pacers, members of the 1992-93 Suns team were honored on the court 30 years after only the second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
Reunion! pic.twitter.com/5xuA1iplty
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) January 22, 2023
That Suns squad also featured the likes of Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Richard Dumas, Cedric Ceballos, Tom Chambers, Danny Ainge and Tim Kempton.
For those who may need a refresher, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
Charles Barkley was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1992-93.
He and head coach Paul Westphal led Phoenix to the NBA Finals that season in a matchup against the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls were the two-time defending champions and looking for a three-peat under head coach Phil Jackson and featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr.
But Suns fans will always remember the name John Paxon because of his series-clinching three-pointer in Game 6 at the then-America West Arena.
On This Date: 25 years ago today, John Paxson sealed the Michael Jordan and Bulls’ first three-peat. 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/huZDlDuIWs
— ESPN (@espn) June 20, 2018
The playoff run also featured “Westy’s Guarantee” of winning a first-round five-game series over the Los Angeles Lakers while trailing 2-0. At the time, no NBA team had ever accomplished the feat.
The Suns went on to win three straight over the Lakers to advance to the second round where they would beat the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
Phoenix was pushed to seven games by Gary “The Glove” Payton and the Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals, but Barkley would not be denied what would be his only career trip to the Finals.
The Suns’ 62 regular-season wins during the 1992-93 season was also a franchise record at the time.
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