The 1992–93 NBA season was the 25th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. This season is most memorable for the Suns acquiring controversial All-Star power forward Charles Barkley from the Philadelphia 76ers, and signing free agent Danny Ainge prior to the season. Under new head coach Paul Westphal, the Suns had a successful season posting a 14-game winning streak in December, which led them to a 21–4 start, held a 38–10 record at the All-Star break, then posted an 11-game winning streak between March and April to finish with an NBA-best 62–20 record. The team set the franchise record for most wins in a season (the record was later tied in the 2004–05 season and later broken in the 2021-22 NBA season). Barkley won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, and led the team to its second trip to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the 2-time defending champion Chicago Bulls in six games. In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Suns faced elimination as they trailed 2–0 against the 8th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. However, they won the next three games, including a 112–104 overtime home win in Game 5 to advance in the Western Conference Semi-finals, where they defeated the 5th-seeded San Antonio Spurs in six games. In the Western Conference finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in a full seven-game series, on their way to the Finals before losing in six games to the Bulls. Barkley led the Suns in scoring and rebounding with 25.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, and also contributed 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Dan Majerle finished second on the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game, contributed 1.7 steals per game, and finished tied in first place in the league with 167 three-point field goals, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Barkley and Majerle were both selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, with Westphal coaching the Western Conference. In addition, point guard Kevin Johnson only played just 49 games due to groin, hamstring and knee injuries, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and rookie forward Richard Dumas (who was suspended for all of the previous season for violating the NBA's substance abuse policy), contributed 15.8 points, led the Suns with 1.8 steals per game and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, despite only playing just 48 games due to injury. Cedric Ceballos provided the team with 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while off the bench, sixth man Tom Chambers provided with 12.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, Ainge contributed 11.8 points per game and 150 three-point field goals, and first round draft pick Oliver Miller led the team with 1.8 blocks per game. Westphal finished in fourth place in Coach of the Year voting. Following the season, Chambers signed as a free agent with the Utah Jazz. The season saw the debut of the new "Streaking Sun" logo, which was featured on the front of the team's new jerseys. The new primary logo and uniforms would both remain in use until 2000. The season was also the Suns first at the new America West Arena (currently known as "Footprint Center"). The new arena had a regular season attendance of 779,943 in 41 home games, the fifth highest total attendance in the league. The team sold-out the capacity 19,023 arena every game of the season. This was the last time the Suns would make the NBA Finals until the 2020–21 season.

Offseason

NBA draft

The Suns used their first-round pick to select center Oliver Miller from Arkansas. Miller averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game through four years with the Razorbacks. Miller would go on to play two seasons with the Suns before signing with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent in 1994. He would later return to the Suns in the 1999–2000 season. Second-round picks Brian Davis and Ron Ellis were not signed by the Suns. Davis would later play with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1993–94 season, while Ellis never played in the NBA.

Trades

On June 17, 1992, the Suns traded former All-Star Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang to the Philadelphia 76ers for All-Star forward Charles Barkley. Barkley would play four seasons with the Suns before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 1996. Hornacek would play less than two seasons with the Sixers, Perry would play less than four, and Lang only one. Many consider the trade to be the best in Suns history.

Free agency

The Suns key off-season signing was veteran shooting guard Danny Ainge. Ainge would spend his last three seasons in the NBA with the Suns. Point guard Frank Johnson was signed to back-up All-Star Kevin Johnson. Forward/center Tim Kempton was signed, but played sparingly throughout the season. Small forward Alex Stivrins was picked up in the off-season, but later waived. He would return with two 10-day contracts later in the season, but was again waived.

Roster

Regular season

In 1992, the Suns moved into their new arena in downtown Phoenix, the America West Arena (now Footprint Center). The arena was not the only new arrival into Phoenix though, as flamboyant all-star power forward Charles Barkley was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry. Barkley would go on to win his first and only MVP in his first year with Phoenix in 1993. In addition to Barkley, the Suns added some key players to their roster, amongst them Danny Ainge. Also making his Suns debut was their 1991 first round draft pick, Oklahoma State forward Richard Dumas, who missed the previous season due to a drug-related suspension.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal (a former Suns assistant and, as a player, member of the 1976 Suns squad that went to the NBA Finals), the Suns squad consisting mostly of Barkley, Majerle, Johnson and Ainge won 62 games that year. After eliminating the Lakers (against whom they came back from an 0–2 deficit preventing them from being the first eight-seeded team to eliminate the top seeded team in the first round), Spurs, and Sonics, the Suns advanced to the Finals for the second time in franchise history. They eventually lost to the Bulls, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. This series included a triple-overtime game (Game 3) that along with game 5 of the 1976 series are the only triple overtime games in the history of the NBA finals. Approximately 300,000 fans braved the 105 degree heat to celebrate the memorable season in the streets of Phoenix.

Game log

NBA Finals

The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1992–93 NBA season, featuring the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and the Phoenix Suns, winners of 62 games and led by regular season MVP Charles Barkley. The Bulls became the first team since the legendary Boston Celtics of the 1960s to win three consecutive championship titles, clinching the "three-peat" with John Paxson's game-winning 3-pointer that gave them a 99–98 victory in Game 6.

Awards and honors

Week/Month

All-Star

Season

Player statistics

Season

• – Stats with the Suns. † – Minimum 300 field goals made.

Playoffs

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation: