There’s one feeling nobody who is a fan of the Phoenix Suns has ever experienced: the pure elation that comes with winning the final game of the NBA season. And now another season has come and gone. The 58th season in Phoenix Suns history is officially over as the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1, capturing their first NBA championship since 1973.
For most fan bases, moments like this are a celebration. A chance to relive memories and reflect on what it felt like when their team
finally climbed the mountain. Suns fans don’t have that luxury. Every June serves as a reminder that Phoenix has never won the final game of an NBA season. Despite decades of success, Hall of Famers, MVPs, Finals appearances, and more than 2,500 victories, that one box remains unchecked.
It’s what makes being a Suns fan unique. You learn to celebrate the journey because you’ve never been rewarded with the destination.
As the Knicks celebrate their first title in more than five decades, Suns fans are left doing what they’ve always done this time of year: watching someone else hold the trophy while hoping that one day, somehow, it’ll finally be Phoenix’s turn. When you watch the postgame celebrations, hear the speeches, see the smiles, and watch players lift the trophy, you can’t help but feel a little jealous.
Sure, it’s been 53 years since the Knicks last won a championship. Most of their fans weren’t even alive the last time it happened. But for the Suns, it simply never has. So when you watch those moments unfold, there’s a bit of envy. That’s only natural. At the same time, there’s also happiness for the players who once wore your jersey and now get to experience the feeling that every player and fan chases.
Two former members of the Phoenix Suns won a championship tonight: Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet.
The relationship with Shamet had become complicated by the end of his time in Phoenix. Expectations were high, especially for a player making $9.5 million a season, and he never quite delivered the way many hoped he would. Still, he’s part of the fraternity. He wore the uniform, and now he’s an NBA champion.
Then there’s Mikal Bridges. That’s different. That’s the one that tugs at the heartstrings.
Mikal was beloved from the moment he arrived in Phoenix. He embodied everything fans wanted in a player. He worked hard, played every night, smiled constantly, and became a foundational piece of a team that made a run to the NBA Finals.
When he was traded, Suns fans felt it. And tonight, seeing him hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it’s hard not to feel a little joy for him. Maybe a little sadness, too. But mostly joy.
Because while Suns fans continue waiting for that moment to arrive for their own franchise, it’s nice to see someone who meant so much to the organization finally experience what it’s like to stand at the top of the basketball world. Mikal Bridges, who has never missed a game in his NBA career, was the definition of an iron man during his time in Phoenix. He spent five seasons with the organization and was one of the young cornerstones who helped lead the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance in 28 years in 2021.
When he was traded for Kevin Durant, it hurt.
At the time, most of us understood the logic. You were acquiring one of the greatest players of his generation in an effort to chase a championship. But now that the dust has settled, the fallout has played out, and Durant has been gone from Phoenix for over a season, it’s hard not to revisit that decision and wonder what might have been. You can’t help but feel like something was lost. At the same time, it’s impossible not to be happy for Mikal.
He’s continued to grow outside of Phoenix. He’s continued to prove why so many Suns fans loved him in the first place. And now he adds something else to his résumé. NBA champion. So congratulations, Mikal Bridges. The city of Phoenix is rooting for you. And while it stings that this moment didn’t happen with you wearing a Suns uniform, we’re happy to see you experience it nonetheless.
More than anything, we hope that one day Suns fans can know exactly what you’re feeling right now.
