1999–2000 Phoenix Suns season

Off-season

The Suns acquired the ninth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft from the Dallas Mavericks via trade, and selected small forward Shawn Marion from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star guard Penny Hardaway from the Orlando Magic,^[5][6][7] signed free agents Rodney Rogers,^[8][9][10] Todd Day, and former Suns center Oliver Miller, who played for the team when they reached the 1993 NBA Finals.^[11][12]

Regular season

With the addition of Hardaway, Rogers, Marion and Miller, the Suns won 11 of their first 15 games of the regular season, which included a seven-game winning streak between November and December. After a 13–7 start to the season, Danny Ainge resigned as the team's head coach to spend more time with his family, and was replaced with assistant coach Scott Skiles.^[13][14][15] Under Skiles, the Suns continued to play above .500 in winning percentage, holding a 29–19 record at the All-Star break.^[16] The Suns posted an eight-game winning streak in February, and finished in third place in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record, earning the fifth seed in the Western Conference;^[17] the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the twelfth consecutive year.^[1]

Six players on the team averaged double-digits in points this season; Clifford Robinson led the Suns in scoring with 18.5 points per game and 120 three-point field goals, while Hardaway averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game in only 60 games due to a foot injury,^[18][19][20] and Jason Kidd provided the team with 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, Rogers played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game along with 115 three-point field goals, finished fourth in the league with .439 in three-point field goal percentage, and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.^[21][22][23] Meanwhile, Tom Gugliotta contributed 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, but only played 54 games due to injury, Marion averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in only 51 games, Day provided with 6.8 points per game in 58 games, and Rex Chapman contributed 6.6 points per game in 53 games. On the defensive side, Luc Longley averaged 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Miller provided with 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in 51 games.^[24]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at The Arena in Oakland in Oakland, California, Kidd was selected for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team. Kidd scored 11 points along with 14 assists and 4 steals, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 137–126.^[25][26][27] In addition, Kidd also participated in the NBA 2Ball Competition, along with Jennifer Gillom of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.^[28][29] Kidd was also named to the All-NBA First Team, as he and Robinson were both selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Marion and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Kidd finished in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[30] and also finished tied in eighth place along with Robinson in Defensive Player of the Year voting;^[30] Rogers finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting,^[30] and Skiles finished tied in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[30]

In March, Kidd suffered an ankle injury and missed the final month of the regular season;^[31][32][33] Gugliotta and Chapman were also both out due to season-ending injuries, and did not participate in the NBA playoffs. Former All-Star and Suns guard Kevin Johnson came out of his retirement to fill in the void in Kidd's absence; he had retired after the 1997–98 season.^[34][35][36] Johnson played in six regular season games, averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.^[24]

The Suns finished sixth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 773,115 at the America West Arena during the regular season.^[24][37]

NBA playoffs

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2000 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 4th–seeded, and defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Despite both teams finishing with the same regular-season record, the Spurs had home-court advantage in the series. However, the Spurs were without All-Star forward Tim Duncan, who was out due to a season-ending left knee injury, as the team was led by All-Star center David Robinson, Avery Johnson and Mario Elie.^[38][39][40] The Suns won Game 1 over the Spurs on the road, 72–70 at the Alamodome, but then lost Game 2 on the road, 85–70.^[41][42] With the series tied at 1–1, the Suns won the next two games at home, as Kidd returned from his ankle injury to play in Game 4, in which the Suns defeated the Spurs at the America West Arena, 89–78 to win the series in four games, and advance to the Western Conference Semi-finals for the first time since the 1994–95 season.^[43][44][45]

In the Semi-finals, the Suns faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by the trio of All-Star center, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Shaquille O'Neal, All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, and Glen Rice. The Suns lost the first three games to the Lakers, but managed to win Game 4 at the America West Arena, 117–98.^[46] However, the Suns lost Game 5 to the Lakers on the road, 87–65 at the Staples Center, thus losing the series in five games.^[47][48][49]

The Lakers would advance to the 2000 NBA Finals to defeat the Indiana Pacers in six games.^[50][51][52]

Notable incidents

On December 17, 1999, after a 110–102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon, Gugliotta had a near-death experience where he suffered from a seizure on the team bus, while talking to his wife, Nikki, on his cellular phone. Gugliotta had stopped breathing while being rushed to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition, and underwent a series of tests, which did not reveal the cause of his seizure; he was released from the hospital the next day, but experienced headaches afterwards. Gugliotta had taken the supplement, "furanone di-hydro", after the Suns' game against the Trail Blazers, and before boarding the team bus, because he had trouble sleeping, and had taken the supplement once before without any effects.^[53][54][55]

Aftermath

Following the season, Johnson retired for the second and last time, while Chapman also retired due to continuing injuries,^[56][57] Miller was released to free agency, and Longley was traded to the New York Knicks.^[58][59]

NBA draft

More information Round, Pick ...

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	9	Shawn Marion	Forward	United States	UNLV

Close

The Suns received the ninth pick from a trade with the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. With the pick they selected combo forward Shawn Marion from UNLV. Marion averaged 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in one year with the Runnin' Rebels. On July 30, the Suns signed him to a 4-year rookie contract for $5.9 million. Though missing two months with a knee injury, Marion averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in his first season, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Marion would play over eight seasons with the Suns, becoming an All-Star four times and being named to the All-NBA Third Team twice, before being traded to the Miami Heat in 2008. Marion would eventually have his number that he wore throughout his time with the team retired in the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor on December 15, 2023.

The Suns traded their first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls in 1999. With the pick the Bulls selected future All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year Ron Artest (later Metta World Peace). They also traded their second-round pick to the Houston Rockets in 1996. With the pick the Rockets selected Tyrone Washington.

Standings

Regular season

Playoffs

Week/Month

• Jason Kidd was named Player of the Week for games played December 12 through December 18.

All-Star

• Jason Kidd was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Kidd finished first in voting among Western Conference guards with 1,061,031 votes.

Season

• Rodney Rogers received the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Rogers also finished eighth in Most Improved Player voting.^[60][30]
• Jason Kidd was named to the All-NBA First Team. Kidd also finished tenth in MVP voting.^[60][30]
• Jason Kidd was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Kidd also finished tenth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.^[60][30]
• Clifford Robinson was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Robinson also finished tenth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.^[60][30]
• Shawn Marion was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
• Jason Kidd led the league in assists per game with a 10.1 average.

Season

† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 55 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

Player statistics citation:^[24]

Trades

August 5, 1999	To Orlando Magic Pat Garrity Danny Manning 2001 first-round draft pick ( Jason Collins) 2002 first-round draft pick ( Amar'e Stoudemire)	To Phoenix Suns Penny Hardaway

Free agents