2002–03 Phoenix Suns season

2002–03 Phoenix Suns season
Head coachFrank Johnson
General managerBryan Colangelo
OwnerJerry Colangelo
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Results
Record44–38 (.537)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Pacific)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Spurs 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television
RadioKTAR

The 2002–03 Phoenix Suns season was the 35th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.[1] After missing the playoffs the previous season, the Suns received the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, and selected power forward, and high school basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire,[2][3][4] and signed free agent Scott Williams during the off-season.[5]

In their first full season under head coach Frank Johnson, the Suns played around .500 in winning percentage with a 10–10 start to the regular season. However, the team won 11 of their next 13 games, and later on held a 29–21 record at the All-Star break.[6] The Suns played slightly below .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 44–38 record, which was an 8-game improvement over the previous season, and earning the eighth seed in the Western Conference.[7] After a one-year absence, the Suns returned to the NBA playoffs after snapping a streak of thirteen consecutive seasons the year before, which was a franchise record; the team also posted a successful 30–11 home record at the America West Arena, but struggled posting a 14–27 road record during the regular season.

Stephon Marbury averaged 22.3 points, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Shawn Marion averaged 21.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, and led the Suns with 141 three-point field goals, and Stoudemire provided the team with 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, and was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[8][9][10] In addition, Anfernee Hardaway provided with 10.6 points and 4.1 assists per game, but only played 58 games due to injury, while second-year guard Joe Johnson contributed 9.8 points per game, and first-round draft pick Casey Jacobsen contributed 5.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Jake Tsakalidis averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, but only played just 33 games, Tom Gugliotta provided with 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 27 games, Bo Outlaw averaged 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, and Williams contributed 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[11]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Marbury and Marion were both selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Marion's first ever All-Star appearance, and the second and final All-Star appearance for Marbury.[12][13][14] Meanwhile, Stoudemire was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Rookies team,[15][16] and also participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[15][17] Marbury finished tied in 14th place in Most Improved Player voting, while Hardaway finished tied in 26th place;[18] Marion finished tied in 13th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[18] while Joe Johnson finished tied in eleventh place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,[18] and Frank Johnson finished in eleventh place in Coach of the Year voting.[18]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Tim Duncan, second-year star Tony Parker, and David Robinson. The Suns won Game 1 over the Spurs on the road in overtime, 96–95 at the SBC Center,[19][20] but then lost the next two games to the Spurs, before winning Game 4 at home, 86–84 at the America West Arena to even the series. However, the Suns lost the next two games, which included a Game 6 loss to the Spurs at the America West Arena, 87–85, thus losing the series in six games.[21][22][23] The Spurs would go on to defeat the New Jersey Nets in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals, winning their second NBA championship in franchise history.[24][25][26]

The Suns finished 16th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 666,559 at the America West Arena during the regular season.[11][27] Following the season, Tsakalidis and Outlaw were both traded to the Memphis Grizzlies,[28][29] while Williams was released to free agency, and would later on sign as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks midway through the next season, and Randy Brown retired.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 2002 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College / Club Team
1 9 Amar'e Stoudemire Forward  United States
1 22 Casey Jacobsen Guard  United States Stanford

Roster

2002–03 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 0 Randy Brown 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1968–05–22 New Mexico State
F 4 Alton Ford 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1981–05–29 Houston
F 24 Tom Gugliotta 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–12–19 NC State
G 1 Penny Hardaway 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–07–18 Memphis
F 23 Casey Jacobsen 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1981–03–19 Stanford
G 2 Joe Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1981–06–29 Arkansas
F 14 Dan Langhi 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1977–11–28 Vanderbilt
G 3 Stephon Marbury 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1977–02–20 Georgia Tech
F 31 Shawn Marion 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–05–07 UNLV
C 45 Bo Outlaw 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–04–13 Houston
F 32 Amar'e Stoudemire 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1982–11–16 Cypress Creek HS (FL)
C 25 Jake Tsakalidis 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 1979–06–10 Georgia
C 43 Jake Voskuhl 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1977–11–01 Connecticut
C 47 Scott Williams 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1968–03–21 North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: October 23, 2002

Regular season

Standings

Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Sacramento Kings 59 23 .720 – 35–6 24–17 17–7
x-Los Angeles Lakers 50 32 .610 9 31–10 19–22 15–9
x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 9 27–14 23–18 15–9
x-Phoenix Suns 44 38 .537 15 30–11 14–27 12–12
e-Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 19 25–16 15–26 11–13
e-Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 21 24–17 14–27 8–16
e-Los Angeles Clippers 27 55 .329 32 16–25 11–30 6–18
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs 60 22 .732 –
2 y-Sacramento Kings 59 23 .720 1
3 x-Dallas Mavericks 60 22 .732 –
4 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 51 31 .622 9
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers 50 32 .610 10
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 10
7 x-Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 13
8 x-Phoenix Suns 44 38 .537 16
9 e-Houston Rockets 43 39 .524 17
10 e-Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 20
11 e-Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 22
12 e-Memphis Grizzlies 28 54 .341 32
13 e-Los Angeles Clippers 27 55 .329 33
14 e-Denver Nuggets 17 65 .207 43

Playoffs

Game log

2003 playoff game log
First Round: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 19 @ San Antonio W 96–95 (OT) Stephon Marbury (26) Shawn Marion (12) Stephon Marbury (6) SBC Center
19,217 		1–0
2 April 21 @ San Antonio L 76–84 Stephon Marbury (32) Shawn Marion (12) Stephon Marbury (5) SBC Center
19,217 		1–1
3 April 25 San Antonio L 86–99 Stephon Marbury (25) Joe Johnson (9) Stephon Marbury (7) America West Arena
19,023 		1–2
4 April 27 San Antonio W 86–84 Stephon Marbury (18) Shawn Marion (14) Hardaway, Marbury (7) America West Arena
18,756 		2–2
5 April 29 @ San Antonio L 82–94 Shawn Marion (22) Amar'e Stoudemire (14) Stephon Marbury (7) SBC Center
19,217 		2–3
6 May 1 San Antonio L 85–87 Shawn Marion (24) Shawn Marion (15) Penny Hardaway (5) America West Arena
18,913 		2–4
2003 schedule

Awards and honors

Week/Month

  • Amar'e Stoudemire was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January.
  • Amar'e Stoudemire was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April.
  • Frank Johnson was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for December.
  • Stephon Marbury was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played November 24 through November 30.
  • Stephon Marbury was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 5 through January 11.
  • Shawn Marion was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played April 7 through April 13.

All-Star

Season

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Randy Brown 32 0 8.2 .372 . .750 0.8 1.1 .5 .1 1.3
Alton Ford 11 0 2.8 .333 . .333 0.5 0.1 .0 .0 0.6
Tom Gugliotta 27 11 16.6 .455 .000 1.000^ 3.7 1.1 .5 .2 4.8
Penny Hardaway 58 51 30.6 .447 .356 .794 4.4 4.1 1.1 .4 10.6
Casey Jacobsen 72 0 15.9 .373 .315 .686 1.2 1.0 .5 .1 5.1
Joe Johnson 82 34 27.5 .397 .366 .774 3.2 2.6 .8 .2 9.8
Dan Langhi 60 0 9.0 .401 .290 .600 1.5 0.4 .3 .1 3.1
Stephon Marbury 81 81 40.0 .439 .301 .803 3.2 8.1 1.3 .2 22.3
Shawn Marion 81 81 41.6 .452 .387 .851^ 9.5 2.4 2.3 1.2 21.2
Bo Outlaw 80 20 22.5 .550† .000 .621 4.6 1.4 .6 .9 4.7
Amar'e Stoudemire 82 71 31.3 .472† .200 .661 8.8 1.0 .8 1.1 13.5
Jake Tsakalidis 33 27 16.5 .452 . .672 3.7 0.4 .2 .5 4.9
Jake Voskuhl 65 1 14.6 .564† . .667 3.5 0.6 .3 .4 3.8
Scott Williams 69 33 12.6 .411 .000 .786 2.8 0.3 .4 .3 4.0

† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tom Gugliotta 2 0 5.0 .500 . .500 1.0 0.0 .0 .0 2.5
Penny Hardaway 6 6 40.7 .386 .360^ .722 6.0 4.3 2.2 .8 12.7
Casey Jacobsen 6 0 6.5 .200 .400^ .000 0.5 0.3 .5 .0 1.0
Joe Johnson 6 0 27.3 .275 .154 .400 4.3 1.3 .7 .3 5.3
Stephon Marbury 6 6 45.2 .375 .227 .758 4.0 5.7 1.2 .0 22.0
Shawn Marion 6 6 47.2 .374 .321 .846 11.7 2.0 1.8 1.8 18.5
Bo Outlaw 6 0 11.7 .100 . .500 2.2 0.8 .2 .2 0.7
Amar'e Stoudemire 6 6 33.8 .523† 1.000^ .571 7.8 1.2 1.7 1.5 14.2
Jake Voskuhl 6 0 16.3 .706† . .923# 3.7 0.3 .7 .7 6.0
Scott Williams 6 6 13.8 .344 . 1.000# 2.5 0.2 .7 .5 4.0

† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 5 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 10 free throws made.

Player statistics citation:[11]

References

  1. ^ "2002-03 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats".
  2. ^ Passan, Jeff (June 27, 2002). "Rockets Select Yao No. 1 Overall in Draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Rockets Make Yao Ming First Overall Pick". ESPN. June 26, 2002. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  4. ^ "2002 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "WESTERN CONFERENCE: Team-by-Team Preview". The New York Times. October 28, 2002. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  7. ^ "2002–03 Phoenix Suns Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "PLUS: N.B.A.; Stoudemire Named Rookie of the Year". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 25, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Stoudemire Is Rookie of Year". Deseret News. April 25, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "NBA & ABA Rookie of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "2002–03 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  12. ^ Sheridan, Chris (February 9, 2003). "Something Old, Something New on Court at All-Star Game". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  13. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  14. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  15. ^ a b "Basketball". The Madison Courier. February 8, 2003. p. A8. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  16. ^ "2003 NBA Rising Stars: Sophomores 132, Rookies 112". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  17. ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  19. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; The Suns Cash In on a Couple of Unlikely Bank Shots". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 20, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  20. ^ "Suns Put Win in the Bank". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 20, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; Spurs Finish Suns' Season". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 2, 2003. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  22. ^ Teaford, Elliott (May 2, 2003). "Another Shot at Champs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "2003 NBA Western Conference First Round: Suns vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  24. ^ "Spurs Defeat Nets to Win N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 15, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Heisler, Mark (June 16, 2003). "Spurs Reduce the 'Risk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  26. ^ "2003 NBA Finals: Nets vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  27. ^ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  28. ^ "Grizzlies Acquire F Outlaw, C Tsakalidis from Suns". ESPN. September 30, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  29. ^ "Suns Send Outlaw and Tsakalidis to Grizzlies". Deseret News. October 1, 2003. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
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