The Phoenix Suns have always been known for winning. They built their foundation on solid, mature, and professional players. When you think about all-time Suns great you usually think of Two-time MVP Steve Nash the captain of the seven seconds or less squad, or Charles Barkley the 1993 MVP that led the franchise to it’s second finals appearance, and if you’re a bit older you think of Alvan Adams the talented 6-9 center for the Sunderella team back in 76. All of these players have one thing in common and that’s the Suns Ring of Honor. Usually, outstanding players get their numbers hang up in the rafters. But for the Suns they induct them in a special group called the Ring of Honor. This article was written to shed some light to one outstanding player that never gets talked about when it comes to Suns greats and that is point guard Jason Kidd.
Before we talk about Jason Kidd’s playing days with the Suns let’s first see how they got him in the first place.
“Suns trade Sam Cassell, A.C. Green and Michael Finley to the Dallas Mavericks for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer, Dec. 26, 1996.”
Does Jason Kidd Belong in the Suns Ring of Honor?
Now that that’s out of the way we can talk about Kidd and his stay with the Suns. Jason Kidd spent five seasons with the Suns. Kidd led the Suns to the playoffs in each of his five seasons in the valley. He was a three-time All-star and it was with the Suns that earned him the tag of “best playmaker in the league” as he made it to three consecutive All-NBA first teams. He averaged 14.4 ppg, 9.7 apg, and 6.4 rpg as a Sun, he also averaged 41.9 percent shooting from the field, the highest amongst the four teams he played for his career.
The Issue
The first glaring issue with Jason Kidd as a Sun is that he never really had any playoff success with the Suns. The farthest he took the Suns was back in 2000 when he paired with another stellar point-guard in Penny Hardaway to form backcourt-2000 (History really does repeat itself). Although, that season they could’ve gone to the west finals if it wasn’t for the injuries that haunted them throughout the year. But other than that Kidd never did anything to push the Suns to greater heights, in fact they were always eliminated in the first round with Jason at the helm. And it doesn’t help his cause that he ended his relationship with the Suns on a bad note with reports of domestic violence against his wife.
The other members
Steve Nash: Career Achievements with the Suns
- 2x Most Valuable Player (2005-2006)
- 7x All-star (2005-2008) (2010)(2012)
- 3x All-NBA First Team (2005-2007)
- 2x All-NBA Second Team (2008)(2010)
- Led the team to three western conference finals appearance
- Member of the Suns Ring of Honor
Where do we start with Captain Canada? He made his impact felt immediately after he signed with the Suns back in 04. He’s arguably the best point guard the Suns ever had. He also helped the community alot when he was in Phoenix. All in all he’s the reason most fans watch the Suns up to this day.
Charles Barkley: Career Achievements with the Suns
- 1x Most Valuable Player (1993)
- 5x All-star (1992-1996)
- 1x All-NBA First Team (1993)
- 3x All-NBA Second Team (1992) (1994-1995)
- 1x All-NBA Third Team (1996)
- Led the Suns to the finals in 1993
- Member of the Suns Ring of Honor
The round mound of rebound was amazing with his time in purple and orange. He led the team to the finals and he was, at that time, considered by many as the best player in the world. Even if he only spent four seasons with the club he made such an amazing impact in the culture of the franchise and the city.
Alvan Adams: Career Achievement with the Suns
- NBA All-Star (1976)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (1976)
- NBA All rookie first team (1976)
- Member of the Suns Ring of Honor
I know I know it’s not as impressive as the Steve’s and Chuck’s but hear me out. He was a key part to the 1975-1976 Suns team that shocked the basketball world when they made it to the finals, oh and he was a rookie back then, he averaged 19 ppg and 9 rpg for the team in his first season in the NBA, yeah he was that good. Another reason I mentioned Alvan is because of his loyalty to the franchise. Alvan played his entire career in Phoenix he was there through the push and the pull. He deserves more recognition from the younger generation of Suns Fans.
The Verdict
Jason Kidd had an amazing stint in Phoenix stat wise. But, he never made the same impact those guys made with the Suns. Guys like Kevin Johnson, Walter Davis, Tom Chambers, Paul Westhpal, Connie Hawkins, Thunder Dan, they got the Suns flying over the radar of many NBA fans. Jason just didn’t have the same impact as those Suns legend. Sure none of those guys won a championship, but they sure captured the hearts of the people in Arizona. It will be a pleasant surprise to see Kidd inducted in the ring of honor but I don’t expect that too happen anytime soon because Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire were better Suns than Kidd. Unless of course he coaches the team to it’s first NBA title.
