The 1988–89 Phoenix Suns season was the 20th season for the Phoenix Suns of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

. The Suns had the seventh pick in the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

, which they used to select

Tim Perry Timothy D. Perry (born June 4, 1965) is an American former basketball player. Following his college career with Temple he played professionally for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association and Liga ACB. Playing career Perry played colle ...

out of

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

, and also selected future All-Star

Dan Majerle Daniel Lewis Majerle (; born September 9, 1965), also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", is an American former professional basketball player and former coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. He played 14 years in the National Basketball Associat ...

from the University of Central Michigan with the fourteenth pick. During the off-season, the Suns fired

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

John Wetzel and replaced him with director of player personnel (and former head coach) Cotton Fitzsimmons, who coached the team for the '70–'71 and '71–'72 seasons, and signed free agent and one-time All-Star forward Tom Chambers. The Suns showed a lot of improvement over the previous season, holding a 29–17 record at the All-Star break, posting a nine-game winning streak between March and April, and finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 55–27 record. All home games were played at

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor s ...

. Chambers led a triplet of Suns who averaged 20 points or more for the season, with Chambers averaging 25.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. In addition, sixth man Eddie Johnson averaged 21.5 points per game off the bench, and earned the season's Sixth Man of the Year Award, while second-year point guard Kevin Johnson, who enjoyed his first full season with the Suns after a midseason trade the year before, provided the team with 20.4 points, 12.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and earned the Most Improved Player of the Year Award, while finishing third in the league behind

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, a ...

and Magic Johnson in assists per game. Second-year forward Armen Gilliam averaged 15.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while

Jeff Hornacek Jeffrey John Hornacek (; born May 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the ...

contributed 13.5 points, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, Majerle provided with 8.6 points per game in only 54 games,

Tyrone Corbin Tyrone Kennedy Corbin (born December 31, 1962) is an American former basketball player and assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets. He was first appointed the assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns, then was named the Utah Jazz’s head coach, on Fe ...

contributed 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Mark West provided with 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Fitzsimmons was named Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 27-game improvement. In the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

, the Suns swept the Denver Nuggets in three straight games in the Western Conference First Round, and defeated the 7th-seeded Golden State Warriors four games to one in the Western Conference Semi-finals. The Suns saw their playoff fortunes reverse in the Conference Finals, when they met the season's

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Magic Johnson, and the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, getting swept four games to zero. The Lakers would reach the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year, but would lose to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

in four straight games. Chambers was the only member of the team to be selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, which was his second All-Star appearance. At season's end, Chambers and Johnson were both members of the

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

. Following the season, Corbin left in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft.

NBA Draft

The Suns used their first-round pick to select

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

from

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. Perry averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in four years with the Owls. In his first three years with the Suns, Perry would average 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game playing in a limited role. After becoming a starter in the 1991–92 season, Perry averaged 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. After the season, he was traded, alongside

and

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University o ...

, to the Philadelphia 76ers for superstar forward

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons ...

. The Suns received the 14th pick from a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1988. With the pick they would select swingman

from

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

. Majerle averaged 21.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in four years with the Chippewas. Majerle would spend his first seven seasons with the Suns, appearing in three All-Star games before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995. He would return to play for the Suns in the 2001–02 season before retiring. His number 9 jersey was retired by the franchise in 2003. The Suns received the 28th pick from a trade with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in 1988. With the pick they would select

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

from

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. Lang averaged 6.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in four years with the Razorbacks. Like Perry, Lang played a limited role in his first three seasons, averaging 3.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. After becoming a starter in the 1991–92 season, Lang averaged 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, before being traded to the 76ers. In 1987, the Suns traded their second-round pick to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

for Eddie Johnson. The pick was then traded to the New York Knicks and then to the

, who selected

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

Fennis Dembo Fennis Marx Dembo (born January 24, 1966) is a retired American professional basketball player for the 1989 National Basketball Association champion Detroit Pistons. A small forward, he only played in the NBA for one season, averaging 1.2 points a ...

with the 30th pick. The Suns received the 38th pick from a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1988. With the pick they would select

Dean Garrett Dean Heath Garrett (born November 27, 1966) is a former American professional basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the center position. College career Garrett attended San Clemente High School, in San Clemente, California, w ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Garrett averaged 13.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in two years with the Hoosiers. Garrett suffered a fractured foot before appearing in any games, and missed the entire season. He was waived before the start of the 1989–90 season without appearing in any games for the franchise. The Suns received the 50th pick from a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985. With the pick they would select guard Steve Kerr from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Kerr averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 assists per game in four years with the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

. Kerr would spend most of his rookie season on the injured reserve, averaging 2.1 points per game in 26 games, before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989. The Suns used their third-round pick to select point guard Rodney Johns from Grand Canyon. Johns averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in two years with the

Antelopes The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammal ...

. The Suns signed Johns to a contract on September 27, but he was waived on November 1 before the start of the season.

Roster

Roster Notes

* Rookie center

missed the entire season due to a fractured foot, and never played for the Suns.

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

Game log

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 28 ,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

W 104–103
,

Chambers Chambers may refer to: Places Canada: *Chambers Township, Ontario United States: *Chambers County, Alabama * Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County * Chambers, Nebraska * Chambers, West Virginia * Chambers Township, Hol ...

, K. Johnson (26) , Tom Chambers (17) , Kevin Johnson (9) ,

14,471 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 30 ,

W 132–114
, Kevin Johnson (34) , Tom Chambers (12) , Kevin Johnson (14) ,

14,471 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 2 , @

W 130–121
,

, K. Johnson (32) , Tom Chambers (17) , Kevin Johnson (16) ,

McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sports use It was ...

12,660 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 6 , Golden State
W 130–103
, Tom Chambers (25) , Eddie Johnson (9) , Kevin Johnson (11) ,

14,471 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 9 , Golden State
L 122–127
, Eddie Johnson (35) , Eddie Johnson (9) , Kevin Johnson (12) ,

14,471 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 11 , @ Golden State
W 113–104
, Tom Chambers (31) ,

Corbin Corbin may refer to: People * Corbin (given name) * Corbin (surname) * Corbin (musician), American singer Buildings * Corbin Building, a historic building located at 192 Broadway in New York, US * Corbin Cabin, a log structure in Shenandoah ...

(14) , Kevin Johnson (15) , Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
15,025 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 13 , @ Golden State
W 135–99
, Eddie Johnson (34) ,

(13) , Hornacek, K. Johnson (8) , Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
15,025 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 16 , Golden State
W 116–104
, three players tied (24) ,

, E. Johnson (11) , Kevin Johnson (11) ,

14,471 , 4–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 20 , @

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

L 119–127
, Kevin Johnson (27) , Tom Chambers (10) , Kevin Johnson (18) ,

Great Western Forum Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and ...

17,505 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 23 , @

L 95–101
, Kevin Johnson (22) , Tom Chambers (10) , Kevin Johnson (10) ,

17,505 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 26 ,

L 107–110
, Tom Chambers (26) ,

(11) , Kevin Johnson (15) ,

14,471 , 0–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 28 ,

L 117–122
, Tom Chambers (41) , Tom Chambers (13) , Kevin Johnson (10) ,

14,471 , 0–4 , -

Awards and honors

Week/Month

* Tom Chambers was named Player of the Week for games played January 23 through January 29. * Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played March 13 through March 19. * Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Month for February. * Cotton Fitzsimmons was named Coach of the Month for April.

All-Star

* Tom Chambers was selected as a reserve in the 1989 All-Star Game. It was his second All-Star selection.

Season

* Kevin Johnson received the Most Improved Player Award. * Eddie Johnson received the Sixth Man of the Year Award. * Cotton Fitzsimmons received the Coach of the Year Award. *

Jerry Colangelo Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) 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 Ari ...

received the Executive of the Year Award. * Kevin Johnson was named to the

. Johnson also finished 8th in the Most Valuable Player voting. * Tom Chambers was named to the

. Chambers also finished 9th in the Most Valuable Player voting.

Player statistics

Season

, - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 81 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 81 , , 37.1 , , .471 , , .326 , , .851 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 8.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 25.7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 77 , , 30 , , 21.5 , , .540 , , .000 , , .788 , , 5.2 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 8.2 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , . , , . , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , * , , 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .200 , , .000 , , 1.000^ , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 34 , , 1 , , 9.4 , , .343 , , . , , .750 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 4.5 , , .000 , , . , , .500 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.5 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 74 , , 60 , , 28.6 , , .503 , , . , , .743 , , 7.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 15.9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , * , , 10 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .444 , , .333 , , .750 , , 0.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , .0 , , 3.9 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 78 , , 73 , , 31.9 , , .495 , , .333 , , .826 , , 3.4 , , 6.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.1 , , 13.5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 70 , , 7 , , 29.2 , , .497 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , .413† , , .868 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 21.5 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 81 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 81 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 39.2 , , .505 , , .091 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , .882^ , , 4.2 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12.2 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 20.4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 26 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .435 , , .471† , , .667 , , 0.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , .0 , , 2.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 62 , , 25 , , 8.5 , , .513 , , . , , .650 , , 2.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.8 , , 2.6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 54 , , 5 , , 25.1 , , .419 , , .329 , , .614 , , 3.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 8.6 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , * , , 30 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .276 , , .000 , , .429 , , 1.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , .0 , , 0.6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 62 , , 15 , , 9.9 , , .537 , , .200 , , .615 , , 2.1 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 4.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 82 , , 32 , , 24.6 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , .653 , , . , , .535 , , 6.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 2.3 , , 7.2 * – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 55 three-pointers made.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 41.3 , , .459 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , .409 , , .859 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 10.9 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , 1.3 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 26.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , 25.8 , , .523 , , . , , .760 , , 7.1 , , 2.2 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 9.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 8 , , 0 , , 9.9 , , .429 , , . , , .500 , , 1.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.6 , , .0 , , 0.9 , - align="center" bgcolor="f0f0f0" , , , 9 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .529 , , . , , .864 , , 5.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 8.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , 31.2 , , .497 , , .000 , , .840 , , 5.8 , , 5.2 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 14.1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , 0 , , 32.7 , , .413 , , .342 , , .769 , , 7.3 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 17.8 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , 41.2 , , .495 , , .300 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , .927 , , 4.3 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12.3 , , 1.6 , , 0.4 , , 23.8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , . , , . , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , 0 , , 29.3 , , .438 , , .286 , , .792 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 14.3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 1.5 , , .333 , , . , , . , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.5 , - align="center" bgcolor="" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .500 , , . , , .000 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" , , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 12 , , 18.9 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , .640 , , . , , .714 , , 4.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" , 1.6 , , 6.2

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

Standings on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1988-89 Phoenix Suns season Phoenix Suns seasons