The early players fans loved
There was Dick Van Arsdale.
The first player chosen by Phoenix in the 1968 expansion draft will forever have a place in the hearts of longtime Suns fans.
“Dick Van Arsdale will always be my main guy,” said Suns fan Terri Smith. “We moved from Indiana to Arizona the year that No. 5, the original Phoenix Sun, was taken by the Suns.”
Van Arsdale is one of several players of note as The Republic presents the second of a five-part series on all-time favorite Suns, based on feedback from fans. The series will conclude with revealing the top-four based on fan feedback.
This installment looks at early fan favorites such as Paul Westphal and Walter Davis. Also Connie Hawkins and Alvan Adams.
Swooping through the air with those massive hands, “The Hawk” was the franchise’s first superstar in becoming a four-time all-star in the early 1970s.
“He was sort of an idol of mine,” said Suns fan Hugh Doctorman. “His ability to go airborne at the free throw line and slam the ball home was just something to see. He was approachable, too.”
As for Adams, he won rookie of the year honors in in helping the Suns reach the NBA finals for the first time in 1976.
An undersized big, “Double A” was mobile, versatile and played an allaround game.
There was even Ron Lee.
He’s not in the Suns “Ring of Honor” like Van Arsdale, Hawkins, Westphal, Davis or Adams.
He only played two full seasons (197678) in Phoenix before being traded to the then-New Orleans Jazz in 1979, but Lee racked up countless floor burns at “Madhouse on McDowell” leading to resounding cheers.
“The Kamikaze Kid,” said former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo about Lee, who was also known as “Tasmanian Devil,” a nickname Adams said he gave him.
Lee was named the team’s most popular player in 1977 as voted by the fans.
“He would dive for loose balls,” Colangelo continued. “He was amazing. Fans loved his effort. He wasn’t as skilled in terms of being able to shoot it, you know, pass it. He made up for his deficiencies with his effort and people love guys who are willing to go through a wall for you. Ronnie Lee was one of those guys.”
As much as the fans loved those guys, two more really capitalized them.
Westy and Sweet D.
Westphal came to Phoenix via trade as Boston shipped him and two secondround picks to the Suns for Charlie Scott in May 1975. Westphal was a first-team All-American at USC, but played a reserve role with the Celtics, who won an NBA title in 1974.
Suns fans were familiar with Westphal from his college days, but fell in love with him once he arrived in Phoenix. Westphal led the “Sunderella Suns” to the 1976 NBA finals.
“He immediately took off once he hit the court in Phoenix,” Colangelo said. “He was ambidextrous. He could use his left hand as well as his right hand, which was amazing. He had great hops. He was a real athlete. Very competitive and performed. There’s nothing better. You want to become a favorite, you get the job done.”
Westphal later coached Phoenix to the 1993 NBA finals, but made his initial mark with the franchise as a great player. Averaging 20.6 points in six seasons with the Suns, Westphal earned firstteam All-NBA honors three times as he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2019.
In Westphal’s third season, the Suns drafted Davis with the fifth overall pick in 1977.
“Sweet D with the pure jump shot and greyhound speed,” Suns fan Mario Bayne said.
Davis averaged a career-best 24.2 points in earning rookie of the year honors. Playing 11 seasons in Phoenix, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer (15,666) averaged 20.5 points and was a six-time All-Star with the Suns.
Fans always love scorers, but Davis’ connection with them went beyond that in Phoenix.
“Great personality,” Colangelo said. “Great smile on his face. He was a very likeable guy and he was as smooth as silk. He really was. Called him ‘The Greyhound’ because he just glided up and down the court. His jump shot was as pretty as anyone I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of them.”
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