The Phoenix Suns in their 128-104 win over the Utah Jazz Saturday night unveiled new banners for their 15 Ring of Honor members.

Phoenix Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia, who has aggressively led a culture and franchise turnaround in a pursuit of the organization's first-ever NBA championship, greeted living members of the Suns' Ring of Honor and family members of late honorees Cotton Fitzsimmons, John MacLeod and Paul Westphal in a special halftime ceremony before banners were raised into the rafters at Footprint Center.

Suns coach Frank Vogel and forward Kevin Durant each spoke about Ishbia's push to honor the Suns' Ring of Honor members with banners and murals in the Footprint Center's upper concourse. Each Ring of Honor member or their respective family members received a watch during the banner ceremony.

“Mat's doing a great job just embracing this organization's history and honoring guys like (former Suns forwards) Shawn (Marion) and Amar'e (Stoudemire), but also bringing back the legends we had,” Vogel said.

Durant, who was traded to the Suns in February and is perhaps one of the 10 best players in NBA history, said he wants to be inducted one day.

“Playing for the Suns, I want to be a part of that,” Durant said. “Those people inspire me, what they did for this organization and this city. I want to go out there and represent it just like they did.”

Among notable attendees for the Ring of Honor were the two Most Valuable Player selections in Suns history, Steve Nash and Charles Barkley. Nash and Barkley each had speeches for the Suns faithful before the banners were revealed on the west sideline of the seating bowl at Footprint Center.

“Good evening, Suns fans,” Nash started his halftime speech. “Yes, let's go! This is an incredible night for all of us. Opening night, big season ahead. I think we're all excited for this team and this year. Huge honor for all of us here.”

Nash paused to point on the former Suns, including teammates and future Ring of Honor inductees Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire, in attendance.

“On behalf of all the Ring of Honor inductees, I just want to say it means the world to us, this way to be connected to this franchise, this city. And we can't wait to have an incredible season this year for the Suns. Thank you, very much.”

Nash, who is a two-time MVP, coached Durant with the Brooklyn Nets from 2020 to 2022 and was a player consultant when Durant played for the Golden State Warriors from 2016 to 2019.

“Steve is a special player, a special person,” Durant said.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Suns' Devin Booker and Kevin Durant asking Grayson Allen "Can you play?"

Brett Siegel ·

Suns' Kevin Durant and Frank Vogel with Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert

Ben Cooper ·

Nike KD 17 'Producer Pack' featuring Metro Boomin, The Alchemist, and Bink!

Dominik Zawartko ·

“We spent a lot of time together. I've got nothing but respect for who he is as a man and his family. But his basketball mind is just next-level.”

Barkley lives in Arizona and said he doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon.

“I ain't never leaving Arizona until I'm dead,” said Barkley, who won MVP and helped lead the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals and is a host of “Inside the NBA” on TNT.

The Suns will have star guard Devin Booker in the Ring of Honor. Durant is a candidate as well as former point guard Chris Paul, who was twice an All-NBA selection in three of his years with the Suns and was a member of their 2021 NBA Finals team.

Durant can make his case for the Ring of Honor, along with star guard Bradley Beal, if Phoenix wins its first-ever championship.