Getty Image / Christian Petersen
The Phoenix Suns are going to retire the jerseys of two of their stars from the early 2000s.
Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion will see their jerseys lifted into the rafters at the Footprint Center during a Ring of Honor ceremony during the 2023-24 NBA season.
The early 2000s were a time of great success for the Phoenix Suns.
With Steve Nash at point guard and Mike D’Antoni as the head coach, the Suns offense thrived and gave fans hope that the organization might finally bring home its first ring.
That ring never came, but that Suns team had some very memorable seasons.
That Suns squad also featured a couple of other franchise legends in Amar’e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.
More than a decade after that era of Suns basketball came to an end, those two are now going to be honored by the franchise.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Suns plan to retire the jerseys of Stoudemire and Marion during the upcoming season.
The Phoenix Suns are retiring the jerseys of former All-Stars Shawn Marion (No. 31) and Amar’e Stoudemire (No. 32) at a Ring of Honor ceremony next season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 9, 2023
Amar’e Stoudemire was the second big star on those Suns teams, earning 5 All-Star nods and 4 All-Pro nominations in his time in Phoenix before being dealt to the New York Knicks.
The big man averaged 21.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.
Shawn Marion didn’t get the same plaudits as his two teammates, but was also a huge contributor to those early 2000s Suns teams.
Marion averaged 18.4 points and 10 rebounds per game and was an elite defender for the Suns for almost 10 full seasons.
While they didn’t deliver a ring, that is absolutely an era of Phoenix Suns basketball that deserves to be celebrated and now Marion and Stoudemire will get the honor they deserve this season.