Nancy Lieberman Early years Where did Nancy grow up? Her family lived in Brooklyn, when she was born, but soon moved to Far Rockaway, New York Was she an only child? she grew up with her older brother Clifford. When did she start playing basketball While growing up, she was very interested in a variety of sports, playing baseball, softball and football with boys, before settling on basketball as her primary sport. Did she play in high school She played basketball primarily on pickup teams with boys, not playing on a girls' team until she was a high school sophomore.
Why did she not play on a team until then?
Why did Nancy Lieberman not play on a girls' team until sophomore year of high school?
Lieberman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 1, 1958, to Jerome and Renee Lieberman. She was raised Jewish, but has become a born-again Christian. Her family lived in Brooklyn, when she was born, but soon moved to Far Rockaway, New York where she grew up with her older brother Clifford. Her mother brought up the children after a separation and divorce. While growing up, she was very interested in a variety of sports, playing baseball, softball and football with boys, before settling on basketball as her primary sport. She played basketball primarily on pickup teams with boys, not playing on a girls' team until she was a high school sophomore. While attending Far Rockaway High School in Queens, New York, she established herself as one of the top women's basketball players in the country by earning one of only 12 slots on the USA's National Team. In 1975, Lieberman was named to the USA Team designated to play in the World Championships and Pan American Games, where she brought home a gold medal  Lieberman's mother, Renee, was not supportive of her daughter's passion for basketball. During one instance when Lieberman was practicing dribbling techniques indoors, because it was cold outside, her mother demanded she stop dribbling because of all the noise. When she did not stop, her mother punctured the basketball with a screwdriver. Lieberman found another ball and continued, but her mother punctured that one as well. This continued until five balls were ruined. Nancy then decided she had better go outside before she ran out of basketballs.  During the school year, she played for her high school team, but in the summer, played with an AAU team in Harlem, the New York Chuckles. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Nancy Elizabeth Lieberman (born July 1, 1958), nicknamed "Lady Magic", is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who is currently a broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as the head coach of Power, a team in the BIG3 which she led to its 2018 Championship. Lieberman is regarded as one of the greatest figures in American women's basketball.

In 2000, she was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. Lieberman is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

Early life
Lieberman was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jerome and Renee Lieberman. She is Jewish (and described herself as "just a poor, skinny, redheaded Jewish girl from Queens"). Her family lived in Brooklyn when she was born, but soon moved to Far Rockaway, Queens, where she grew up with her older brother Clifford. She lost great-grandparents in the Holocaust, and her paternal grandparents, who survived, had concentration camp numbers on their wrists.

Her mother brought up the children after a separation and divorce. While growing up, she was interested in a variety of sports, playing baseball, softball and football with boys, before settling on basketball as her primary sport. She played basketball primarily on pickup teams with boys, not playing on a girls' team until she was a high school sophomore.

Lieberman's mother Renee was not supportive of her daughter's interest in basketball. Once, when Lieberman was practicing dribbling techniques indoors because it was cold outside, her mother demanded she stop dribbling because of all the noise. When she did not stop, her mother punctured the basketball with a screwdriver. Lieberman found another ball and continued, but her mother punctured that one as well. This continued until five balls were ruined. Lieberman then decided she had better go outside before she ran out of basketballs.

Playing career

High school career
While attending Far Rockaway High School in Queens, she established herself as one of the top women's basketball players in the country by earning one of the 12 coveted slots on the USA's National Team. In 1975, while still in her teens, Lieberman was named to the USA Team designated to play in the World Championships and Pan American Games, where the team won a gold medal.

During the school year, she played for her high school team, but in the summer, played with an Amateur Athletic Union team in Harlem, the New York Chuckles.

She told former Knick Walt Frazier that he was her hero and that it was because of him that she wore No. 10, saying: "You might not even know this, but you thought you were affecting young guys but you were affecting young, white Jewish women, not just boys."

College career
From 1976 to 1980, Lieberman attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and played on the women's basketball team there. During that time, she and her team won two consecutive AIAW National Championships (1979, 1980) and one WNIT (Women's National Invitation Tournament) Championship in 1978. She was the first two-time winner of the prestigious Wade Trophy, a national player of the year award in college women's basketball, and was selected as the Broderick Award winner for basketball as the top women's player in America. Lieberman also won three consecutive Kodak All-America awards (1978, '79, '80). Lieberman was one of six young adults to win the Young American Award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1980.

Lieberman earned the nickname "Lady Magic," a nod to Earvin "Magic" Johnson of NBA fame. Lieberman set a school record for career assists (961) that still stands today. She led the team in assists each of the four years she was on the team—in her sophomore year she averaged 8.9 per game. Lieberman amassed 2,430 points along with 1,167 rebounds in her collegiate career, producing an average of 18.1 points per game. Lieberman achieved a triple double (40 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists) against Norfolk State in her sophomore year. Lieberman stole the ball 562 times and assisted a basket 961 times in her college career, believed to be modern records. She is the holder of several single-game and single-season records, including best free-throw shooting percentage in her freshman and sophomore years.

Lieberman earned her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Old Dominion University on May 6, 1980. She was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

Professional career

In 1980 she was selected with the first pick in the Women's Pro Basketball League (WPBL) draft by the Dallas Diamonds. She helped Dallas to the 1981 WPBL finals, where they lost to the Nebraska Wranglers in five games. She was named the "rookie of the year", after averaging 26.3 points per game. Lieberman's WBL career is featured in the book Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978–1981.

In 1981, she played for the Los Angeles Lakers Summer Pro League team.

In 1984, she once again suited up for the Dallas Diamonds, signing a three-year, $250,000 contract with the team to play in the Women's American Basketball Association (WABA). Averaging 27 points per game and voted the league's Most Valuable Player, she helped Dallas win the 1984 WABA championship, but the league folded after the season. The final game played was between the Diamonds and the WABA All-Stars, where Lieberman scored 19 points and was named the game's MVP in the Diamonds' 101-94 victory.

In 1986, Lieberman signed with the Springfield Fame of the men's professional United States Basketball League (USBL) where she went on to average 1.7 points in 11 minutes per game. She remained in the league the following season, playing for the Long Island Knights. Later, she toured with the Washington Generals, who served as the regular opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters, where she met her future husband, teammate Tim Cline.

She was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1996 and to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

In the newly formed WNBA's inaugural year in 1997, Lieberman played for the Phoenix Mercury. At the age of 39, she was the WNBA's oldest player. On July 24, 2008, at 50 years old, Lieberman signed a seven-day contract with the Detroit Shock, breaking her own previous record as the oldest player in league history. She played one game and had two assists and two turnovers against the Houston Comets. The Comets defeated the Shock 79–61.

National team career
At age 17, Lieberman was named to the USA Basketball team roster. She played for the team in the 1975 USA Women's Pan American Team, three years younger than the next youngest teammates. The games were held in Mexico City, Mexico in October. The Pan Am team had failed to win the gold in 1967 and 1971. In 1975, the team was more successful, compiling a 7–0 record, and winning the gold medal for the first time since 1963.

Lieberman continued with the USA team to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in the first women's Olympic basketball team competition. Shortly after turning 18, Lieberman became the youngest basketball player in Olympic history to win a medal, when the United States captured the silver medal.

Lieberman was named to the team representing the US at the 1979 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei. The USA team won all six games on the way to the gold medal. Lieberman earned a spot on the Jones Cup All-Tournament Team

Lieberman played with the team at the 1979 Pan American games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Although the team easily won most of their games, they lost to Cuba, 91–86, and received the silver medal.

In 1980, Lieberman earned a slot on the 1980 Olympic team, but withdrew from the squad in support of U.S. President Jimmy Carter's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. She failed to make the final roster for the 1990 Goodwill Games and the 1992 Olympics.

Coaching career

WNBA
In 1998, Lieberman was hired as general manager and head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock. She coached for three seasons. After leaving the Shock, Lieberman worked as a women's basketball analyst on ESPN.

NBA G League
In November 2009, Lieberman became the coach of the Texas Legends in the NBA Development League (now NBA G League), an affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, thus becoming the first woman to coach a professional men's basketball team. The team began play in November 2010. She later moved to a front office position with the Legends before joining Fox Sports Oklahoma as an analyst for the Oklahoma City Thunder studio show, Thunder Live.

NBA
In July 2015, she was hired by the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach, becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history. She took two leaves of absence to care for her ailing mother before leaving the Kings in 2017. After the Kings, she became a broadcaster with the New Orleans Pelicans.

BIG3
On March 21, 2018, it was announced that Lieberman was hired as a head coach of Power in the BIG3 league, replacing Clyde Drexler. In her first season as head coach, she led her team to the 2018 Championship, defeating 3's Company to become the first ever female coach in the BIG3 to win a championship.

Career statistics

College

Source

WNBA

Regular season

Source

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1997
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 25 || 0 || 11.2 || .325 || .231 || .800 || 1.3 || 1.6 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 1.6 || 2.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008
| style="text-align:left;"| Detroit
| 1 || 0 || 9.0 || .000 || – || – || 0.0 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.0 || 0.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| 2 years, 2 teams
| 26 || 0 || 11.1 || .321 || .231 || .800 || 1.2 || 1.6 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 1.6 || 2.5
|}

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1997
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 1 || 0 || 1.0 || – || – || – || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0
|}

Awards and honors
 1979-Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball
 1979-The Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports.
 1980-Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball
 1999-Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Personal life
in 1988, Lieberman married one of her teammates with the Generals, Tim Cline, taking the surname Lieberman-Cline until the couple's divorce on March 15, 2001.

Their son Timothy Joseph or T. J., played college basketball for the Richmond Spiders, and in November 2017 signed to play for Israeli team Hapoel Holon, which plays in the Ligat HaAl, the top division of Israeli basketball.

In religious matters, despite her Jewish upbringing, Lieberman became a Christian late in her life and was described as having embraced born-again Christianity and a 2015 Jerusalem Post article. Nonetheless, she said in an interview in 2010, "I am 100% Jewish. My father's parents were deeply religious, we had two sets of silverware when we went and ate over there. My mother's side observed the major holidays. It was more relaxed. I went to Hebrew school as well." In 2011, she visited Israel with her mother, saying "It has changed my outlook of Israel. I know as a Jewish woman how important it is for me to be connected to this culture and to this community."

Lieberman was a contestant on the season 4 Gold Medal Challenge of Champions special of American Gladiators. She was eliminated after the third event with the lowest score of the three female competitors.

On August 13, 2008, she was part of the inaugural class to be inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, honoring athletes, coaches and administrators who made contributions to sports in Southeastern Virginia.

See also 
 List of female NBA coaches
 Nancy Lieberman Award
 List of select Jewish basketball players
 WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award

Notes

References

External links
 Official website
 Biography on Jewish Women Encyclopedia
 Lieberman articles on ESPN.com
 Profile on Women's basketball Hall of Fame
 Profile on Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1958 births
Living people
All-American college women's basketball players
American evangelicals
American Gladiators contestants
American men's basketball coaches
American women's basketball coaches
American women's basketball players
Basketball coaches from New York (state)
Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games
Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1979 Pan American Games
Basketball players from New York City
Big3 coaches
Christians from New York (state)
Converts to evangelical Christianity
Detroit Shock head coaches
Detroit Shock players
Far Rockaway High School alumni
Jewish American sportspeople
Jewish women's basketball players
Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Basketball Association broadcasters
Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball players
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in basketball
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in basketball
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
People from Far Rockaway, Queens
Phoenix Mercury draft picks
Phoenix Mercury players
Point guards
Sacramento Kings assistant coaches
Sportspeople from Brooklyn
Sportspeople from Queens, New York
Texas Legends coaches
Washington Generals players
Women's National Basketball Association executives
Women sports announcers
Women's Sports Foundation executives
United States Basketball League players
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American women
United States women's national basketball team players
The 1990–91 Phoenix Suns season was the 23rd season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. For the season opener, the Suns traveled to Japan to play their first two games against the Utah Jazz at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, making history by being the two first teams in U.S. professional sports to play a regular season game outside of North America. The Suns got off to an 8–7 start early into the season as they traded Eddie Johnson to the Seattle SuperSonics for Xavier McDaniel. The Suns would post a 7-game winning streak as they won 17 of their next 21 games, ending the season finishing third in the Pacific Division with a 55–27 record. They would face the Jazz again in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, losing in four games to the 5th-seeded team.

Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. Johnson led the Suns with 22.2 points, 10.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Chambers averaged 19.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. In addition, Jeff Hornacek provided the team with 16.9 points, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while McDaniel averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game with the Suns after the trade, sixth man Dan Majerle contributed 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Mark West and Andrew Lang both led the team with 2.0 blocks per game each. Following the season, McDaniel was traded to the New York Knicks.

Draft picks

First round pick Jayson Williams did not reach an agreement with team president Jerry Colangelo over his rookie contract, and after months of discussion Phoenix sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a conditional first round selection in the 1994 NBA draft. Rights to Miloš Babić were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the rights of Stefano Rusconi.

Roster

Pre-season

Regular season

Season standings

y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

Game log

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 1
| April 25
| Utah
| L 90–129
| Negele Knight (18)
| Jeff Hornacek (5)
| Kevin Johnson (6)
| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum14,487
| 0–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 2
| April 27
| Utah
| W 102–92
| Jeff Hornacek (25)
| Andrew Lang (8)
| Kevin Johnson (12)
| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum14,487
| 1–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 3
| April 30
| @ Utah
| L 98–107
| Tom Chambers (26)
| Jeff Hornacek (10)
| Kevin Johnson (10)
| Salt Palace12,616
| 1–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 4
| May 2
| @ Utah
| L 93–101
| Jeff Hornacek (30)
| Tom Chambers (7)
| Kevin Johnson (11)
| Salt Palace12,616
| 1–3
|-

Awards and records

All-Star Game
 Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson were selected to play in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, their fourth and second appearances respectively.

Awards
 Kevin Johnson was selected to the All-NBA Second Team, and finished seventh in Most Valuable Player voting.
 Dan Majerle was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Records
 In a game against the Denver Nuggets on November 10, 1990, the Suns broke the NBA scoring record for a team in a half, by finishing the first two quarters ahead 107–67.
 In Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Utah Jazz, Phoenix suffered their worst playoff loss in franchise history up to that point, by losing 129–90.

Injuries/Missed games
 10/30/90: Ricky Blanton: Viral infection; placed on injured list until waived on November 14
 10/30/90: Negele Knight: Pulled hamstring; placed on injured list until November 21
 10/30/90: Andrew Lang: Leg stress fracture; placed on injured list until November 16
 11/03/90: Jeff Hornacek: Sore neck; did not play
 11/07/90: Jeff Hornacek: Sore neck; did not play
 11/16/90: Ian Lockhart: Knee, ankle injuries: placed on injured list for rest of season
 11/21/90: Tim Perry: Sprained ankle; placed on injured list until December 5
 12/05/90: Andrew Lang: Bruised arm; placed on injured list until December 26
 12/26/90: Kenny Battle: Sprained ankle; placed on injured list until waived on January 23
 01/02/91: Tom Chambers: Pulled hamstring; did not play
 01/04/91: Tom Chambers: Pulled hamstring; did not play
 01/05/91: Tom Chambers: Pulled hamstring; did not play
 01/27/91: Joe Barry Carroll: Placed on suspended list until February 19
 01/27/91: Kurt Rambis: Sprained ankle; placed on injured list until February 5
 02/19/91: Tim Perry: Knee tendinitis; placed on injured list until March 17
 03/17/91: Joe Barry Carroll: Sore hamstring; placed on injured list until April 21
 04/05/91: Kevin Johnson: Strained hamstring; did not play
 04/05/91: Dan Majerle: Injured hip; did not play
 04/07/91: Kevin Johnson: Strained hamstring; did not play
 04/07/91: Dan Majerle: Injured hip: did not play
 04/09/91: Tom Chambers: Back spasms; did not play
 04/09/91: Kevin Johnson: Strained hamstring; did not play
 04/09/91: Dan Majerle: Spinal nerve irritation; did not play
 04/12/91: Tom Chambers: Back spasms; did not play
 04/12/91: Kevin Johnson: Strained hamstring; did not play
 04/12/91: Dan Majerle: Spinal nerve irritation; did not play
 04/14/91: Tom Chambers: Back spasms; did not play
 04/14/91: Kevin Johnson: Strained hamstring; did not play
 04/14/91: Dan Majerle: Spinal nerve irritation; did not play
 04/21/91: Tim Perry: Knee tendinitis; placed on injured list for rest of season

Player statistics

Season

* – Stats with the Suns.
+ – Minimum 50 games played.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

Transactions

Trades

See also
 1990–91 NBA season

References

Phoenix Suns seasons The 1996–97 NBA season was the 29th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Suns acquired Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant and Chucky Brown from the Houston Rockets, and signed free agent Rex Chapman. However, the team struggled losing their first 13 games of the season, as Kevin Johnson missed the first eleven games with a hernia injury. After an 0–8 start, head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons was replaced by former Suns guard Danny Ainge, who led the team to a 40–34 finish. Along the way, there were many in-season moves such as trading Cassell, second-year star Michael Finley and A. C. Green, to the Dallas Mavericks for future-superstar guard Jason Kidd, second-year center Loren Meyer and Tony Dumas, and sending Horry along with Joe Kleine to the Los Angeles Lakers for former Suns forward Cedric Ceballos and Rumeal Robinson, who was released to free agency after a short stint with the team. Brown was also released after playing just ten games with the team.

It was a season that would not be matched in terms of moves until both the 2014–15 and the 2015–16 seasons came and went. Still, the Suns finished fourth in the Pacific Division with a 40–42 record. This team would also be the first and only NBA team to start out the season with a 10+ losing streak, yet make it to the playoffs by the end of the season. Not only that, but they would also be the first team to record a 10+ game winning streak after recording a 10+ game losing streak earlier in the season, posting an 11-game winning streak between March and April. Johnson led the Suns with 20.1 points, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while Chapman averaged 13.8 points per game, and sixth man Danny Manning provided the team with 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game off the bench. In addition, Wesley Person contributed 13.5 points per game, and led the team with 171 three-point field goals, while Bryant provided with 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, but only played just 41 games due to injury, and Hot Rod Williams averaged 8.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

As the #7 seed in the Western Conference, the Suns faced the 2nd-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, taking a 2–1 series lead, but then losing 2–3 in a closely contested series. Following the season, Person was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Wayman Tisdale retired.

Offseason

NBA Draft

The Suns used their first-round pick to select point guard Steve Nash from Santa Clara. Nash averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in four years with the Broncos. On July 24, the Suns signed Nash to a three-year rookie contract for $3.2 million. He would spend his first two seasons with the Suns playing a limited role behind All-Star guards Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd, before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. Nash would later return to the franchise as a free agent in 2004, winning consecutive MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 and ultimately making it to the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor on October 30, 2015.

The Suns received the 39th pick from a trade with the Detroit Pistons in 1994. With the pick they would select power forward Russ Millard from Iowa. Millard averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in four years with the Hawkeyes. Millard would sign with Italian club Pallacanestro Varese before the season and would never play in the NBA.

The Suns used their second-round pick to select power forward Ben Davis from Arizona. Davis averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in two years with the Wildcats. On September 25, the Suns signed Davis to a one-year rookie contract for $220,000. Davis spent much of the year on the injured reserve with a finger injury. He would appear in 20 games, average 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 4.9 minutes a game. Davis would sign as a free agent with the New York Knicks after the season. He would later return to the Suns shortly in the 1999–2000 season, appearing in just five games before being waived.

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs
The Suns came into the playoffs as the seventh seed, facing the 1996 Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics in the first round. In game one, Rex Chapman set a playoff record with 9 three-pointers, finishing the game with 42 points and leading the Suns to a 106–101 upset in Seattle. The Sonics responded with a 44-point blowout in game two, evening the series 1–1. The Suns recovered at home in game three. After an early 15-point deficit, Wesley Person led the team to a comeback 110–103 victory with 29 points and 10 rebounds. The Suns had a chance to close the series at home in game four. Behind by eleven points in the final two minutes of regulation, the Suns cut to lead to two before fouling Detlef Schrempf with 5.4 seconds remaining. Schrempf would miss the second of two free throws, giving the Sonics a 107–104 lead. Rex Chapman would respond with a famous turnaround three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Sonics would outscore the Suns 15–8 in extra time to gain a 122–115 victory. The Suns would head back to Seattle tied 2–2 for a deciding fifth game. The Suns turned to small ball, starting four guards (Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson, Rex Chapman and Wesley Person) along with center Hot Rod Williams. The Sonics would dominate the first half, leading by 22 at the break. A third quarter rally would bring the lead to eight, and a Wesley Person three-pointer to open the fourth quarter brought the lead to just five. But the Sonics would go on a 19–7 run in the final six minutes to claim a 116–92 victory.

Game log

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 1
| April 25
| @ Seattle
| W 106–101
| Rex Chapman (42)
| Kevin Johnson (7)
| Jason Kidd (10)
| KeyArena17,072
| 1–0
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 2
| April 27
| @ Seattle
| L 78–122
| Rex Chapman (18)
| Wesley Person (10)
| Jason Kidd (8)
| KeyArena17,072
| 1–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
| 3
| April 29
| Seattle
| W 110–103
| Wesley Person (29)
| Wesley Person (10)
| Jason Kidd (10)
| America West Arena19,023
| 2–1
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 4
| May 1
| Seattle
| L 115–122 (OT)
| Johnson, Kidd (23)
| Danny Manning (10)
| Jason Kidd (14)
| America West Arena19,023
| 2–2
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
| 5
| May 3
| @ Seattle
| L 92–116
| Wesley Person (26)
| Kidd, Person (8)
| Jason Kidd (7)
| KeyArena17,072
| 2–3
|-

Awards and honors

Week/Month
Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played March 24 through March 30.
Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Month for April.

All-Star
This was only the third season in franchise history that the Suns were not represented in the All-Star Game, after the 1986 and 1988 seasons.
Steve Nash was selected to compete for the Western Conference in the Rookie Challenge.

Season
Kevin Johnson finished 17th in MVP voting.
Danny Manning finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Injuries/Missed games
10/31/96: Kevin Johnson: Abdominal hernia; placed on injured reserve until November 24
10/31/96: Mark Bryant: Torn knee cartilage; placed on injured reserve until December 6
10/31/96: Hot Rod Williams: Toe surgery; placed on injured list until November 26
11/14/96: Sam Cassell: Flu; did not play
11/23/96: Wayman Tisdale: Shoulder tendinitis; placed on injured list until December 30
11/26/96: Ben Davis: Finger ligament damage; placed on injured reserve until January 12
11/26/96: Sam Cassell: Personal reasons; did not play
11/27/96: Sam Cassell: Personal reasons; did not play
11/29/96: Sam Cassell: Personal reasons; did not play
12/06/96: Darrin Hancock: Bilateral knee bruises; placed on injured reserve until waived on December 10
12/21/96: Joe Kleine: Back spasms; did not play
12/28/96: Kevin Johnson: Flu; did not play
12/30/96: Tony Dumas: Injured finger; did not play
12/30/96: Jason Kidd: Collarbone hairline fracture; placed on injured list until December 14
01/06/97: Robert Horry: Two-game team suspension (threw towel at coach Danny Ainge); out until traded on January 10
01/10/97: Rex Chapman: Sprained ankle; did not play
01/12/97: Tony Dumas: Bruised knee; placed on injured list until April 20
01/13/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play
01/13/97: Rex Chapman: Sprained ankle; did not play
01/14/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play
01/14/97: Rex Chapman: Sprained ankle; did not play
01/18/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play
01/29/97: Rex Chapman: Fractured finger; placed on injured reserve until March 2
02/11/97: Hot Rod Williams: Flu; did not play
02/26/97: Danny Manning: Sore leg; did not play
03/02/97: Ben Davis: Injured finger; placed on injured reserve until March 13
03/09/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play
03/11/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play
03/13/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play
03/13/97: Loren Meyer: Strained lower back; placed on injured list until March 25
03/17/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; placed on injured reserve until April 20
03/22/97: Cedric Ceballos: Bruised knee; did not play
03/26/97: Cedric Ceballos: Bruised knee; did not play
03/28/97: Cedric Ceballos: Bruised knee; did not play
03/28/97: Wayman Tisdale: Personal reasons; did not play
03/30/97: Wayman Tisdale: Personal reasons; did not play
04/02/97: Wayman Tisdale: Personal reasons; did not play
04/05/97: Ben Davis: Injured finger; placed on injured reserve until April 20
04/15/97: Wesley Person: Flu; did not play
04/18/97: Wesley Person: Flu; did not play
04/19/97: Danny Manning: Injured foot; did not play

Player statistics

Season

* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 82 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 125 free throws made.
+ – Minimum 50 games played.

Playoffs

# – Minimum 10 free throws made.

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

 Suns on Database Basketball
 Suns on Basketball Reference

 

Phoenix Suns seasons