The

1994–95 NBA season The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Houston Rockets defeating the Orlando Magic 4–0 in the NBA Finals to be crowned champions. Notable occurrences *The Housto ...

was the 27th season for the

Phoenix Suns 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 (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in the

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

. During the off-season, the Suns signed free agents, All-Star forward

Danny Manning Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist * Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer * Danny Baker (born 1957), English j ...

Wayman Tisdale Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma,

, and

Danny Schayes Daniel Leslie Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played for Syracuse University and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 1981 until 1999. At 6' 11" and 235 pounds ...

. The team had the 23rd overall pick in the

1994 NBA draft The 1994 NBA draft took place on June 29, 1994, at Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. Two NBA rookies of the year were picked in the first round, as Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners of the award for the 1994–95 NBA season. Kidd and Hill ...

, and selected

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

Wesley Person Wesley Lavon Person (born March 28, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his playing career, Person became a women's basketball assistant coach and then the h ...

from the University of Auburn. The Suns were led by

Paul Westphal Paul Douglas Westphal (November 30, 1950 – January 2, 2021) was an American basketball player and coach. Westphal played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1972 to 1984. Playing the guard position, he won an NBA championship wi ...

in his third year as

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

, as they held the league's best record at 38–10 before the All-Star break, and finished the regular season in first place in the Pacific Division with a 59–23 record, earning the #2 seed in the Western Conference; this was the first time in the team's franchise history where they had ended the season with 55 or more wins for three consecutive seasons. All home games were played at the

America West Arena The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

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 and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

averaged 23.0

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 11.1

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 1.6 steals per game, while Manning averaged 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 46 games due to a torn ligament in his left knee, which sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season, as he did not appear in any

NBA playoff The NBA playoffs is the annual postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the league's regular season and its pr ...

games for the Suns. In addition,

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

Kevin Johnson averaged 15.5 points and led the team with 7.7 assists per game, despite only playing just 47 games due to injuries, while three-point specialist

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 ...

provided the team with 15.6 points per game, and finished the season tied for second with 199

three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two ...

s, and A.C. Green provided with 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Person contributed 10.4 points per game and 116 three-point field goals, and was selected to the

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

, while Tisdale contributed 10.0 points per game,

Elliot Perry Elliot Lamonte Perry (born March 28, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. The point guard from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis), was selected with the tenth pick of the second round (37th overall) ...

played most of the regular season as the team's starting point guard in Johnson's absence, as he averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and led the Suns with 1.9 steals per game, and

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as the chief executive officer for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

contributed 7.7 points per game off the bench. Barkley, Majerle and Westphal represented the Western Conference during the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, which was hosted at the America West Arena in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

; it was the ninth All-Star selection for Barkley, and the third and final selection for Majerle. Barkley was also named to 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 sel ...

, and finished in sixth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (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 particular competition, or ...

voting, while Perry finished in second place in Most Improved Player voting. The Suns swept the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in three straight games in the Western Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs. In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Suns took a 3–1 series lead over the 6th-seeded defending champion

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, but for the second year in a row, had their playoff run stopped in a Game 7 home loss to the Rockets. The Rockets would go on to defeat the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in four straight games in the

1995 NBA Finals The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1994–95 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic against the defen ...

, winning their second consecutive championship. Following the season, Majerle was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, while Ainge retired,

Richard Dumas Richard Wayne Dumas Jr. (born May 19, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he is the son of former American Basketball Association (ABA) player Rich Dumas. Basketball career Dumas, a 6' 7" smal ...

signed as a free agent with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, Schayes signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

during the next season, and undrafted rookie point guard Trevor Ruffin was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the newly expansion

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. The Grizzlies competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Midwest Division (NBA), Midwest Division of the Western Conference ( ...

. For the season, the Suns added new black alternate road uniforms, which remained in use until 2000.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Regular season

Game log

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 24 , December 22, 1994
6:00p.m. MST , @

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

L 106–114
, Manning (23) , Barkley (14) , Manning,

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

(6) , The Summit
16,611 , 18–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 46 , February 5, 1995
1:30p.m. MST ,

L 100–124
, Barkley (24) , Barkley (11) , Barkley (7) ,

19,023 , 36–10 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#cfc;" , - bgcolor="#bbffbb" , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 60 , March 7, 1995
6:00p.m. MST , @

W 113–102
, Barkley (26) , Barkley (14) ,

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

(11) , The Summit
16,611 , 46–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 68 , March 24, 1995
7:00p.m. MST ,

L 97–99
, Barkley (34) , Barkley (26) ,

(10) ,

19,023 , 49–19

Playoffs

Game log

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

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

W 129–102
,

(29) ,

(16) , Kevin Johnson (10) ,

19,023 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 30 ,

W 103–94
, Kevin Johnson (28) , A.C. Green (15) , Kevin Johnson (6) ,

19,023 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 2 , @

W 117–109
,

(47) ,

(12) , Kevin Johnson (11) , Memorial Coliseum
12,888 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 9, 1995
7:30p.m. MST ,

W 130–108
, Barkley (26) ,

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

(15) ,

(13) ,

19,023 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 11, 1995
7:30p.m. MST ,

W 118–94
, Barkley (30) ,

(14) ,

(12) ,

19,023 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 13, 1995
10:00a.m. MST , @

L 85–118
,

(14) ,

(9) , Ainge, Barkley,

(4) , The Summit
16,611 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 14, 1995
10:00a.m. MST , @

W 114–110
,

(43) ,

(12) ,

(9) , The Summit
16,611 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 16, 1995
7:30p.m. MST ,

L 97–103 (OT)
,

(28) , Barkley,

(20) ,

(8) ,

19,023 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 18, 1995
5:30p.m. MST , @

L 103–116
, Barkley (34) , Barkley (14) ,

(10) , The Summit
16,611 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 7 , May 20, 1995
12:30p.m. MST ,

L 114–115
,

(46) , Barkley (23) ,

(10) ,

19,023 , 3–4 , -

Awards and honors

Week/Month

was named Player of the Week for games played November 14 through November 20. *

was named Player of the Week for games played February 13 through February 19.

All-Star

was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. It was his ninth consecutive All-Star selection. Barkley finished first in voting among Western Conference forwards with 1,046,105 votes. *

was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the

. It was his third All-Star selection. Majerle finished first in voting among Western Conference guards with 868,115 votes. *

coached the Western Conference in the

, which was held in Phoenix for the second time. The West defeated the East 139–112. * Other Suns players receiving All-Star votes were:

(327,554). *

was selected to compete in the

Three-Point Shootout The Three-Point Contest is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of All-Star weekend. The 2019 iteration of the contest involved ten participants. From its introduction in 1 ...

. Majerle was eliminated in the first round. *

and Trevor Ruffin were selected to play in the Rookie Challenge.

Season

was named to the

. Barkley also finished sixth in

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

voting. *

was named to the

. *

finished second in Most Improved Player voting.

Injuries/Missed games

* 10/08/94:

: League suspension (failed drug test); reinstated March 13 * 11/03/94:

: Strained stomach muscle; placed on injured list until November 26 * 11/03/94: Aaron Swinson: Sprained ankle; placed on injured list until November 15 * 11/11/94: Kevin Johnson: Sprained rib cage muscle; out until November 18 * 11/12/94:

: Flu; did not play * 11/15/94: Antonio Lang: Back spasms; placed on injured list until February 6 * 11/16/94:

: Sprained ankle; out until November 29 * 11/23/94: Kevin Johnson: Sore knee; did not play * 11/26/94: Kevin Johnson: Strained groin; placed on injured list until December 12 * 11/27/94:

: Strained stomach muscle; did not play * 12/12/94: Kevin Johnson: Strained groin; did not play * 12/12/94: Aaron Swinson: Knee tendinitis; placed on injured list until December 29 * 01/03/95: Kevin Johnson: Strained quadriceps; out until January 22 * 01/03/95:

: Flu; did not play * 01/26/95: Kevin Johnson: Strained quadriceps; out until February 19 * 01/29/95:

: Sore foot; out until February 3 * 02/03/95:

: Separated rib cartilage; out until February 17 * 02/06/95:

: Torn ACL; placed on injured list for rest of season * 02/17/95:

: League suspension (punched

Chris Dudley Christen Guilford Dudley (born February 22, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and politician. He played 886 games across 16 seasons in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, New Yo ...

on February 15); did not play * 02/26/95:

Joe Kleine Joseph William Kleine (born January 4, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for the US national team. He won a gold medal as a member of the Un ...

: Personal reasons; did not play * 02/28/95:

: Sprained knee; did not play * 03/01/95:

: Sprained knee; did not play * 03/14/95:

: Strained rib; placed on injured reserve until March 24 * 03/24/95: Trevor Ruffin: Bruised shoulder; did not play * 03/24/95: Antonio Lang: Sprained knee; placed on injured list for rest of season * 03/31/95:

: Urinary tract infection; did not play * 04/02/95:

: Urinary tract infection; did not play * 04/09/95:

: Bruised knee, sore back; did not play * 04/09/95:

: Bruised knee, sore back; did not play * 04/15/95:

: League suspension (exceeded flagrant foul limit); did not play * 05/09/95:

: Bruised wrist; out until waived on May 18

Player statistics

Season

† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 50 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 125 free-throws made.
+ – Minimum 50 games played.

Playoffs

^ – Minimum 5 three-pointers made. Player Statistics Citation:

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

External links

Standings on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1994-95 Phoenix Suns Season Phoenix Suns seasons