The

1996–97 NBA season The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to celebrate its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particu ...

was the 29th 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 ...

. This season is notable for the Suns drafting point guard

Steve Nash Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

out of

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

with the fifteenth overall pick in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th NBA draft, draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996–97 NBA season, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns s ...

. During the off-season, the team acquired

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall in th ...

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry ( ; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. Horry was a member of seven championship winning teams and is considered, by some, to be one of the most clutch sho ...

, Mark Bryant and

Chucky Brown Clarence "Chucky" Brown Jr. (born February 29, 1968) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward from North Carolina State, Brown was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the secon ...

from the

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) ...

, and signed free agent

Rex Chapman Rex Everett Chapman (born October 5, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and social media influencer, mostly known for his time with the Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 1992 and for his time with the Phoenix Suns from 1996 ...

. However, the Suns struggled losing their first 13 games of the regular season, as Kevin Johnson missed the first eleven games due to a hernia injury. After an 0–8 start, head coach

Cotton Fitzsimmons Lowell Gibbs "Cotton" Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931 – July 24, 2004) was an American college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Bowling Green, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal, ...

resigned and was replaced by former Suns guard

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 ...

. Along the way, there were many in-season moves such as trading Cassell, second-year star

Michael Finley Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who is the assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He ...

and A.C. Green, to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

in exchange for All-Star guard

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

, second-year center

Loren Meyer Loren Henry Meyer (born December 30, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round (24th pick overall ...

and

Tony Dumas Tony Dumas (born August 25, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dumas played collegiately at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), whose athletic program is now known ...

, sending Horry along with

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 ...

to the

Los Angeles 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in exchange for former Suns forward

Cedric Ceballos Cedric Zelos Ceballos (born August 2, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. As a small forward, he played mostly for the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, later finishing his National Basketball Association (NBA) care ...

and

Rumeal Robinson Rumeal James Robinson (born November 13, 1966) is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player and convicted felon. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Robinson graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and went on to pl ...

, who was released to free agency after a short stint with the team, and trading Brown to 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in exchange for Darrin Hancock, who never played for the Suns and was released to free agency. It was a season that would not be matched in terms of moves until both the 2014–15 and the 2015–16 seasons came and went. The Suns held a 17–31 record at the All-Star break, but played above .500 basketball for the remainder of the season, as the team posted an 11-game winning streak between March and April. The Suns finished in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 40–42 record, and earned the #7 seed in the Western Conference. This team would also be the first, and only NBA team to start out the regular season with a 10+ losing streak, yet make it to the playoffs by the end of the season; not only that, but they would also be the first team to record a 10+ game winning streak, after recording a 10+ game losing streak earlier in the season. The Suns qualified for the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

for the ninth consecutive year. Johnson led the Suns with 20.1

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 ...

, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while Chapman averaged 13.8 points per game and contributed 110 three-point field goals, and sixth man

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 ...

provided the team with 13.5 points and 6.1

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 ...

per game off the bench. In addition,

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 ...

contributed 13.5 points per game, and led the team with 171 three-point field goals, while Bryant provided with 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, but only played just 41 games due to an abdominal strain injury, and

Hot Rod Williams Hot commonly refers refer to: *Heat, a hot temperature *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality Hot or HOT may also refer to: Places * Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand ** Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distri ...

averaged 8.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Johnson finished tied in seventeenth 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 Manning finished tied in seventh place in

Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

voting, and Ainge finished in fourth place in

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

voting. In the Western Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 2nd-seeded

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

; the Suns took a 2–1 series lead, but lost three games to two in a closely contested series. Following the season, Person 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 ...

in a three-team trade, and

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,

retired.

Offseason

NBA draft

The Suns used their first-round pick to select

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 ...

from Santa Clara. Nash averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in four years with the

Broncos A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...

. On July 24, the Suns signed Nash to a three-year rookie contract for $3.2 million. He would spend his first two seasons with the Suns playing a limited role behind All-Star guards Kevin Johnson and

, before being traded to the

in 1998. Nash would later return to the franchise as a free agent in 2004, winning consecutive

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: ...

awards in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and ultimately making it to the

Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor The Ring of Honor is an award given to prominent players and employees of the professional basketball team, the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Awardees are selected to recognize the significant role the individual has ha ...

on October 30, 2015. The Suns received the 39th pick from a trade with 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in 1994. With the pick they would select

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

Russ Millard Russ Dwayne Millard (born March 1, 1973) is an American former basketball player who was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round (39th pick overall) of the 1996 NBA draft. A 6'8" forward from University of Iowa, College career Millard w ...

from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Millard averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in four years with the Hawkeyes. Millard would sign with Italian club

Pallacanestro Varese Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian basketball league system, Italian first ...

before the season and would never play in the NBA. The Suns used their second-round pick to select

Ben Davis from

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. Davis averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in two 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 th ...

. On September 25, the Suns signed Davis to a one-year rookie contract for $220,000. Davis spent much of the year on the injured reserve with a finger injury. He would appear in 20 games, average 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 4.9 minutes a game. Davis would sign as a free agent with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

after the season. He would later return to the Suns shortly in the 1999–2000 season, appearing in just five games before being waived.

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

The Suns came into the playoffs as the seventh seed, facing the 1996 Western Conference champion

in the first round. In game one, Rex Chapman set a playoff record with 9 three-pointers, finishing the game with 42 points and leading the Suns to a 106–101 upset in Seattle. The Sonics responded with a 44-point blowout in game two, evening the series 1–1. The Suns recovered at home in game three. After an early 15-point deficit,

led the team to a comeback 110–103 victory with 29 points and 10 rebounds. The Suns had a chance to close the series at home in game four. Behind by eleven points in the final two minutes of regulation, the Suns cut to lead to two before fouling

Detlef Schrempf Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the ...

with 5.4 seconds remaining. Schrempf would miss the second of two free throws, giving the Sonics a 107–104 lead. Rex Chapman would respond with a famous turnaround three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Sonics would outscore the Suns 15–8 in extra time to gain a 122–115 victory. The Suns would head back to Seattle tied 2–2 for a deciding fifth game. The Suns turned to small ball, starting four guards (

, Kevin Johnson,

and

) along with center

. The Sonics would dominate the first half, leading by 22 at the break. A third quarter rally would bring the lead to eight, and a

three-pointer to open the fourth quarter brought the lead to just five. But the Sonics would go on a 19–7 run in the final six minutes to claim a 116–92 victory.

Game log

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 25 , @

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

W 106–101
,

(42) , Kevin Johnson (7) ,

(10) ,

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L 78–122
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W 110–103
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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 ...

19,023 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 1 ,

L 115–122 (OT)
,

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) ...

Kidd Kidd may refer to: Places * Kidd (railway point), British Columbia, a former Canadian settlement * Kidd's Beach, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa * Kidd Islands, Antarctic island grouping * Mount Kidd, a peak in the Canadian ...

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L 92–116
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Awards and honors

Week/Month

* Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played March 24 through March 30. * Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Month for April.

All-Star

*This was only the third season in franchise history that the Suns were not represented 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 ...

, after the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

and

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

seasons. *

was selected to compete for the Western Conference in the Rookie Challenge.

Season

* Kevin Johnson finished 17th in

voting. *

finished seventh in

voting.

Injuries/Missed games

*10/31/96: Kevin Johnson: Abdominal hernia; placed on injured reserve until November 24 *10/31/96: Mark Bryant: Torn knee cartilage; placed on injured reserve until December 6 *10/31/96:

: Toe surgery; placed on injured list until November 26 *11/14/96:

: Flu; did not play *11/23/96:

: Shoulder tendinitis; placed on injured list until December 30 *11/26/96: Ben Davis: Finger ligament damage; placed on injured reserve until January 12 *11/26/96:

: Personal reasons; did not play *11/27/96:

: Personal reasons; did not play *11/29/96:

: Personal reasons; did not play *12/06/96: Darrin Hancock: Bilateral knee bruises; placed on injured reserve until waived on December 10 *12/21/96:

: Back spasms; did not play *12/28/96: Kevin Johnson: Flu; did not play *12/30/96:

: Injured finger; did not play *12/30/96:

: Collarbone hairline fracture; placed on injured list until December 14 *01/06/97:

: Two-game team suspension (threw towel at coach

); out until traded on January 10 *01/10/97:

: Sprained ankle; did not play *01/12/97:

: Bruised knee; placed on injured list until April 20 *01/13/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play *01/13/97:

: Sprained ankle; did not play *01/14/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play *01/14/97:

: Sprained ankle; did not play *01/18/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play *01/29/97:

: Fractured finger; placed on injured reserve until March 2 *02/11/97:

: Flu; did not play *02/26/97:

: Sore leg; did not play *03/02/97: Ben Davis: Injured finger; placed on injured reserve until March 13 *03/09/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play *03/11/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play *03/13/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play *03/13/97:

: Strained lower back; placed on injured list until March 25 *03/17/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; placed on injured reserve until April 20 *03/22/97:

: Bruised knee; did not play *03/26/97:

: Bruised knee; did not play *03/28/97:

: Personal reasons; did not play *03/30/97:

: Personal reasons; did not play *04/02/97:

: Personal reasons; did not play *04/05/97: Ben Davis: Injured finger; placed on injured reserve until April 20 *04/15/97:

: Flu; did not play *04/18/97:

: Flu; did not play *04/19/97:

: Injured foot; did not play

Player statistics

Season

* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 82 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 125 free throws made.
+ – Minimum 50 games played.

Playoffs

# – Minimum 10 free throws made. Player Statistics Citation:

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

*
Suns on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Phoenix Suns Season Phoenix Suns seasons