Inside The Suns

Chris Paul: Future Suns Ring of Honor Member?

The Chris Paul era in Phoenix is officially over. How should his tenure be remembered? Should he be recognized among the greatest Suns?

Kevin Hicks

Chris Paul: Future Suns Ring of Honor Member?
Chris Paul: Future Suns Ring of Honor Member? /
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The Golden State Warriors officially announced the acquisition of former Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul yesterday. The 11 time All-NBA selection is heading to the Bay to join one of the Suns' biggest rivals. 

While Paul is now in enemy territory, much of the Suns fanbase will remember his time in Phoenix fondly, and hopefully the three years with the franchise will lead to the number three jersey being immortalized in Suns history. 

Chris Paul's stats with Suns

15.1 PPG, 9.5 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG in 194 regular season games

17.5 PPG, 8.3 APG, 4 RPG, 1.4 SPG in 40 playoff games

Chris Paul's Accolades with Suns

2X All-NBA, 2X All-Star, 2021 Western Conference Finals MVP, 2022 NBA assists leader

 Timeline of Chris Paul's Suns Tenure

  • November 16, 2020- Oklahoma City Thunder trade Paul, Abdel Nader to Phoenix for Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ty Jerome, Jalen Leqcue, and a 2022 first rounder.
  • December 23, 2020- Suns win Paul's debut vs Dallas despite quiet eight point performance 
  • February 23, 2021- Paul is selected as an All-Star reserve- 11th appearance
  • March 21, 2021- Paul records 10,000th assist vs Lakers, sixth player to ever reach milestone 
  • June 13, 2021- Paul scores 37 on 14-19 shooting to sweep Denver in conference semis
  • June 30, 2021- Paul scores 41 points to lead Suns to first finals appearance since 1993, wins Western Conference MVP
  • October 22, 2021- Paul becomes first player in NBA history to record 20,000 points, 10,000 assists in career in win vs Lakers
  • February 3, 2022- Paul named All-Star reserve- 12th appearance 
  • April 5, 2022- Paul becomes first player to be apart of franchise record winning seasons for four different franchises 
  • April 28, 2022- Paul scores 33 points on 14-14 shooting to eliminate Pelicans in six games
  • May 1, 2023- Paul plays final game in Suns uniform, exits game with groin injury 
  • June 24, 2023- Paul, Landry Shamet, 10 draft picks are traded to the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal, Jordan Goodwin, and Isaiah Todd

Paul is quite clearly the second greatest point guard to ever put on a Suns uniform - with all due respect to Kevin Johnson. Despite only being in Phoenix for three seasons, the impact, value, and professionalism he brought to the table etches him into Suns history permanently. 

While Devin Booker, Monty Williams, James Jones, and Mat Ishbia all deserve credit for bringing the Suns out of a decade-long drought at a breakneck pace, the upgrade from Ricky Rubio to Chris Paul was pivotal. Every team Paul's ever been on has drastically improved in his first year on the team compared to the year before. The Suns are no different. 

His heroics in the Denver and LA Clippers series' can't be overstated either, and although the Suns fell just short of a title, the ascension from fringe playoff contender to title contender in less than a year is almost incomprehensible, and Paul deserves a lot of credit. 

It also can't be ignored that he embraced the community, was an exemplary representative of the city, and did a lot of philanthropic work in his short time in the Valley.  

Despite all of this, there might be a roadblock that prevents Paul's ring of honor induction: his relationship or lack thereof with Suns governor Mat Ishbia. Paul made it known that he wasn't happy with how the trade was executed in an interview with the New York Times, and made it clear that Ishbia was the main one that was responsible for the move. 

An interesting wrench in this is the fact that Suns legends Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion are still not in the ring of honor. This is directly tied into both of their frosty relationships with disgraced former governor Robert Sarver. Ishbia's decision to move Paul for Beal could be a parallel for Sarver's decision to move Marion for Shaquille O'Neal in 2008.

If personal vendettas are set aside, Paul's number three jersey should be immortalized in Suns history in the future. 

Thank you Chris for three amazing seasons, and best wishes in the Bay Area. 

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Kevin Hicks
KEVIN HICKS

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