The Phoenix Suns franchise has been around for a while now. The Suns joined the NBA all the way back in 1968, meaning the team is over 50 years old.
But during the Suns' five-plus-decades of existence, the team hasn't won a single championship. They have been close to winning a title on multiple occasions, though, as the Suns made the NBA Finals in 1976, 1993, and, most recently, 2021, when they lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Suns clearly aren't the most successful franchise in the NBA or even close to it, but they have enjoyed plenty of success, especially in recent years, as they've made the postseason three years in a row now. And the current iteration of the Suns has a chance to be one of the best teams in franchise history thanks to their star-studded trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
With all of that being said, let's rank the top 10 greatest teams in the lengthy history of the Phoenix Suns franchise:
10. 1983-84
The 1983-84 Suns put together one of the most surprising playoff runs in franchise history. This iteration had a hard time winning games during the regular season, as the team finished with a very mediocre 41-41 record, good enough for the sixth-best in the Western Conference. The Suns were led by two-way star Larry Nance, who averaged 17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game during the regular season. Phoenix beat the Portland Trail Blazers 3-2 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and beat the Utah Jazz in six games in the following round before being eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
9. 1994-95
The 1994-95 iteration of the Phoenix Suns finished the regular season with a terrific 59-23 record, the second-best in the Western Conference and the NBA, behind only the San Antonio Spurs, who ended up with a 62-20 record. Charles Barkley was nearing the end of his Suns tenure, as he left the team after the 1995-96 season, but he was still a superstar-caliber player at this stage. He averaged 23.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game across 68 games played during the regular season (66 starts. In the 1995 postseason, the Suns swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round but fell to the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon in seven games in round two.
8. 1989-90
The 1989-90 Phoenix Suns, coached by Cotton Fitzsimmons, boasted a 54-28 regular-season record. This iteration of the Suns was led by Kevin Johnson. Even though Johnson was only 23 years of age at this point, he had already established himself as a legitimate NBA star. He averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game across 74 games played during the regular season (all starts). The Suns beat the Utah Jazz 3-2 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the second round of the postseason to secure a Western Conference Finals berth and a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. But Clyde Drexler and the Trail Blazers eliminated the Suns in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
7. 1988-89
The 1988-89 Suns ended the regular season with a 55-27 record, the second-best in the entire Western Conference, behind only Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, who won 57 games that season. Power forward Tom Chambers stands out as the best player on this Suns team, as he was one of the top scorers in the entire NBA at the time. Chambers scored 25.7 points per game on an efficient 47.1% shooting from the field in 81 games played during the regular season. The Suns made quick work of their opponents in the first two rounds of the playoffs — Phoenix swept the Denver Nuggets in the opening round and beat the Golden State Warriors in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Suns' playoff run came to an end against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, though, as Los Angeles swept Phoenix.
6. 1978-79
The 1978-79 Suns, coached by John MacLeod, owned a rock-solid 50-32 regular-season record. Guard Paul Westphal was the team's biggest star, as he was an elite scorer and playmaker. Westphal averaged 24.0 points per game on 53.5% shooting from the field and 6.5 assists in 81 games played during the regular season. And, led by Westphal, the 1978-79 Suns got so close to reaching the NBA Finals. They beat the Portland Trail Blazers 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs and beat the Kansas City Kings 4-1 in the second round. The Suns then played the Seattle Supersonics in the Western Conference Finals and pushed the Sonics to the brink of elimination, as Phoenix forced a Game 7. But the Sonics went on to win Game 7 by a final score of 114-110.
5. 2009-10
The 2009-10 Phoenix Suns finished the regular season with a 54-28 regular-season record, the third-best in the Western Conference that season, behind only Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks and Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Steve Nash was still an elite point guard at this point, but Amare Stoudemire was arguably the team's best player, as he averaged 23.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game across 82 games played during the regular season (all starts). The Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and swept the San Antonio Spurs in round two before losing to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
4. 2004-05
The best Suns team of the Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire era, the 2004-05 iteration of Phoenix finished the regular season with a 62-20 record, the best record in the NBA. Steve Nash was the top player on the roster, as he won the MVP this year and averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game across 75 appearances during the regular season (all starts). But like many other Suns teams on this list, Phoenix's postseason ended in the Western Conference Finals. The Suns swept the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the second round, and then lost to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the conference finals.
3. 1975-76
The 1975-76 Suns didn't look like they had what it takes to make a deep playoff run during the regular season. After all, they finished the regular season with a 42-40 record. But once the postseason rolled around, the Suns went on to prove all of their doubters wrong. The Suns beat the Seattle Supersonics in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals and the Golden State Warriors in seven in the Western Conference Finals to secure an NBA Finals berth. The Suns lost to the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals, though.
2. 2020-21
The most recent iteration of the Suns to make this list, Phoenix ended up with a 51-21 record during the regular season, the second-best in the NBA — only Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz finished with a better record. Devin Booker was the top player on this Suns squad, as he averaged 25.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 0.8 steals per contest across 67 games played during the regular season. The Suns made it all the way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
1. 1992-93
The best Suns team in franchise history, the 1992-93 iteration of Phoenix finished with a 62-20 regular-season record. Charles Barkley put together the best season of his pro career, as he won the league's MVP award and averaged 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in the regular season. This Suns squad made it all the way to the NBA Finals and lost the championship series in six games against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
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