Suns bringing back iconic 'Sunburst' jerseys from 1992-93 season

Tue, Aug 23, 2022
NBA News (AP)

Suns bringing back iconic 'Sunburst' jerseys from 1992-93 season

Just in time for the 30-year anniversary of the 1992-93 team that made the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns are bringing back their iconic "sunburst" uniform.'

"This is one of the most iconic uniforms in all of sports. They mark an era of fantastic success for the franchise during a time of significant growth for the NBA as a whole," Phoenix Suns creative director Chris Grasha said.'"Fans have been looking to see these return to the court for a long time and the 30th anniversary of that historic season is the perfect time to bring them back."

The Suns wore the streaking sun and the asymmetrical shorts for the first time on Nov. 7, 1992, which at the time marked the team's first major redesigned in 20 years. It was the first game of the regular season and the first time they played at their downtown Phoenix arena, then called America West Arena

Phoenix was already a good team at the time, having 50+ wins in the previous four seasons. However, that particular season had a little extra something, as Nov. 7, 1992 was also Charles Barkley's first game as a Sun.'

Paul Westphal had just been promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Cotton Fitzsimmons left to take over the Atlanta Hawks staff. With NBA standouts such as Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and Richard Dumas, Westphal had a solid team to help him succeed in his first year at the helm of the Suns.

But of course, Barkley was the star who led them to a 62-20 record, still one of the best marks in franchise history. The 1993 Most Valuable Player averaged 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists. Phoenix reached the Finals but lost in six games to a Chicago Bulls roster that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.'

The Suns creative team had a little fun teasing the return of the uniform on Monday with the help of a few familiar faces.

To this day, the Suns have still not found a way to win a title, but they have certainly been close. They finished the 2021-22 season with a 64-18 record before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals. The previous year, they made it to the finals before Giannis Antetokounmpo lifted the Milwaukee Bucks with a 50-point performance in Game 6.

Perhaps the throwback uniform will give the Suns the little extra push they need to finally win it all this season.

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