On This Day: Former Suns Forward Shawn Marion Retires

Marion was a key part of Phoenix's success during the 2000's.

On this day (June 18, 2015), former Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion announced his retirement from the NBA after 1,163 games in the league. 

Dubbed "The Matrix", his versatility on the court helped Phoenix greatly during his prime and some of the most exciting basketball the franchise has seen. 

Marion was initially drafted with the ninth overall pick by the Suns in the 1999 NBA Draft. He spent eight full seasons (1999-2007) in Phoenix and accomplished the following feats before being traded halfway through the 2008 season:

Shawn Marion With Phoenix Suns

*Kudos to Marion's wiki page for the following information*

• 4x NBA All-Star (2003, 2005-07)

• 2x All-NBA Third Team (2005-06)

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2000)

• In 2003-04, Marion led the NBA in total steals (167) and joined 2003–04 MVP Kevin Garnett as the only two players to rank in the top 30 in scoring (19th), rebounds (14th), steals (2nd), blocks (27th) and minutes (2nd)
• During the 2004-05 season, Marion was the only player to be ranked in the top 25 in scoring (23rd), rebounding (3rd), steals (4th), blocks (23rd) and minutes (9th). He also became only the second player in NBA history (joining David Robinson, 1991–92) to rank in the top five in rebounding and steals in the same season since the league began tracking steals in 1973–74.

•  In 2005-06, Marion became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top five in both rebounding and steals in consecutive years since the 1973–74 season. He was joined by Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand and Yao Ming as the only players in the NBA to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 2005–06 season. Marion also became only the second Suns player in franchise history (after Charles Barkley) to record three consecutive 30-point/15-rebound games (February 22–27). He also became the first Sun since Barkley to record a 30-point/20-rebound game with 31 points and an NBA season-high (and personal career-high) 24 rebounds against the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 25.

• In 2006–07, Marion led the NBA in total steals (156) and received seven first place votes and finished fourth in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. He scored his 10,000th career point in the season-opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 31, 2006.

Internationally, Marion scored a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with the United States. 

Marion also spent time with the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers before he called it quits. He won a championship with Dallas in 2011 and finished with a career average of 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. 

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