One Sunburst cap, one road trip, and a lifetime of loyalty

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It’s the offseason. A time for reflection, renewal, and remembrance. How did we get here? Why are we fans? We’ll discuss that and more throughout the summer. First up? How did serial commentator and Bright Side contributor _Ashton_ become a fan of the Phoenix Suns?

---

I have been following the Phoenix Suns since 1991. Everyone has their unique story on this, so here is mine.

In 1991, I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona to attend my senior year of high school. I liked to wear sports caps, so I immediately adopted

local customs and traditions, which included the famous “Sunburst” cap on the white background. Was it an attempt to blend in? Perhaps. But I will be damned if I was seen as an outsider and a transplant. Turns out, nobody in high school really cared which pro team I pulled for. So, I also wore a San Jose Sharks hockey cap at times just because I liked the teal colors.

But that meant I had a new team to follow, and it was not in the Bay Area. It was in The Valley.

In 1993, I moved to Illinois. I met a girl from the farmlands in the area, and she wanted to see Six Flags Great America, located up in Gurnee. She also wanted to see the mall up there as well (Gurnee Mills). What was I to do? I have one of the hottest chicks draped on my arms, wanting to see attractions in an enemy city where I was the enemy. At 19, I had no comprehension, donned that cap, and we took the Chrysler Laser up to Chi-Town. The date was June 11th, 1993. Game 2 of the Chicago/Suns series. I was not concerned with the game, more about whether I was getting to get nookie.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Suns won that one, and whether I got the “nookie” is none of your concern. But I wore the Sunburst cap without ever realizing the consequences at the amusement park or the (second-largest) mall. And what I realized is that Chicago basketball fans are passionate.

They took umbrage at my cap and at my 19-year-old age (with a hot chick running interference — and before you ask, no, we did not get married), I realized there is more to this sport to follow. And the Chicago fans were actually pretty cool.

So, I still kept a finger on the pulse with the Suns. The good times and the bad. And I still will.

But that is where it all started. With a woman. And not being a transplant.

---

Listen to the latest episode of the Suns JAM Session Podcast below. To stay up to date on every episode, subscribe to the pod on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Podbean, or Castbox.

Please subscribe, rate, and review.

More from brightsideofthesun.com:

• Recap: Denver Nuggets Hold Off Phoenix Suns 120-104
• The Dudley Double: Suns forward will match your donations to Bright Side Night!
• What the heck are the Phoenix Suns doing on offense?
• Locked On Suns Tuesday: Should we start to worry about Devin Booker’s shooting?
• Gamethread: Suns take on the Nuggets
• Jared Dudley emerges as the Phoenix Suns’ new sixth man