Goran Dragic, the closest thing the Phoenix Suns have had to a face of the franchise since Steve Nash, is gone. And that is sad. Unless, of course, you’re really going to let a few harsh (but completely accurate) comments overshadow all the good times he had as a Sun.
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For many, this past Thursday marked the end of an era with a fan favorite being traded away to the Miami Heat.
Dragic spent the better part of six seasons in Phoenix, a place he frequently referred to as his second home (outside of his native Slovenia). His lovable accent, his abilities as a left-handed one-man fast break and his always optimistic demeanor made it hard for anyone to cheer against him, Suns fan or otherwise.
During his time in the Valley, the Suns organization saw him grow as a person and as a basketball player. He got married, had a son, went from being Nash’s backup to his successor and transformed from Dragic into a Dragon. Now that his time with the Suns is done, it’s time to take a look back on Goran Dragic’s career in Phoenix and remember his top 10 moments.
Dragic diehards, strap yourselves in, grab a box of tissues and enjoy.
Next: No. 10
10. Winning Western Conference Player Of The Week
Dragic won the Western Conference Player of the Week Award for the first time of his career with the Houston Rockets, but upon returning to Phoenix, he won it a second time during the week of Jan. 27 – Feb. 2, 2014. That was the week after Dragic was egregiously snubbed from the All-Star Game.
For the week, Dragic averaged 26.8 points and 6.0 assists per game while posting the league’s sixth highest field goal percentage (63.9 percent) and second highest three-point percentage (69.2). Phoenix went 4-0 that week with three of those victories coming on the road.
In other words, it was the perfect validation that he had been snubbed, especially when lifetime achievement award selection Tony Parker hardly played any minutes in the All-Star Game and just sat on the bench.
Next: No. 9
9. Scaring Teammates For Halloween
For Halloween 2014, Dragic decided to play a prank on his teammates with the help of his giant T-Rex friend, Baby T. As the Suns players walked down the hallway of US Airways Center one by one, Baby T jumped out from behind a curtain to scare them.
Jeff Hornacek, Mark West, Tyler Ennis Eric Bledsoe, Archie Goodwin, Anthony Tolliver, Alex Len and the Morris twins all got a nice scare from Baby T. Zoran Dragic was so startled he said something the camera had to bleep out and owner Robert Sarver damn near had a heart attack. Gerald Green barely reacted, because of course.
If you still resent Dragic for what he said about his trust with the front office, that’s fine. But I dare you to watch that video without smiling. Or sobbing in a corner somewhere. Either/or.
Next: No. 8
8. One-Man Fast Breaks
This isn’t really one given moment, but part of what made Dragic one of the most entertaining players in the league (especially last season) were his one-man fast breaks.
Careening down the court at break-neck speeds, Dragic could jumpstart any fast break if he were given a decent enough outlet pass. An expert at finishing through or around contact at the basket, Dragic turned defensive rebounds into transition opportunities that were more like high-speed car chases, finishing with an array of scoop shots and up-and-unders.
Even more memorably, Dragic was a master at the behind-the-back layup maneuver, perfectly avoiding collapsing defenders that tried to cut off one direction of his attack:
Next: No. 7
7. Winning The Apple of Inspiration
The 48-win Suns didn’t reach the postseason in 2013-14, but Dragic earned yet another prized offseason award last summer when he was honored by the president of his native Slovenia with the prestigious “Apple of Inspiration” award.
This one kind of flew under the radar for most Suns fans, but it was a huge achievement for Dragic, not only to be recognized by the president of his country for his basketball accomplishments, but also for his status as a role model and his charitable work in the community.
“I will try to be what I am, to be an inspiration to the young, on and off the court,” he said. “I play for Slovenia to show the spirit of Slovenian people and share it with the whole world.”
To earn an award from your homeland for playing a sport in another country and being an inspiration to your people back home is a pretty remarkable accomplishment. Pretty sure Sasha Vujacic never did that.
Next: No. 6
6. Enter The Dragon (Part 2)
Before the start of the 2012-13 season, I had the opportunity to talk with Dragic about his return to the Valley of the Sun. The Houston Rockets had just chosen to let him walk in free agency and the Suns brought back the fan favorite with a four-year, $30 million deal that ended up being a pretty big steal.
When he returned to US Airways Center for the first time to finalize the deal, he was met by a line of employees and fans holding signs that read, “Welcome home, Goran!” and “Come back home!”
“Phoenix is my second home and it brought old memories back of when we made the (Western) Conference Finals,” he told me. “I was really emotional and surprised that there were a lot of people outside the arena cheering for me.”
Undoubtedly one of the happier moments of Gogi’s career, this marked a happy reunion between the Suns and their Dragon…despite the Suns once trading him and a pick to the Rox for Aaron freaking Brooks.
Next: No. 5
5. Setting Career Highs…A Few Times
We’ll get to the night of Dragic’s latest career high a bit later, but Dragic set quite a few impressive career bests during his time with the Suns. In 2010, back when Dragic was still backing up Nash on one of the league’s best benches, fans took notice of his abilities to score points in droves (intentional foreshadowing, there).
On Jan. 25, 2010, Dragic put up a career-high 32 points, converting six of his seven three-point attempts in a losing effort to Utah:
His new career high wouldn’t come until his second stint with the Suns, but it was well worth the wait. In another loss, this time against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 2, 2014, Dragic notched a new career high with 33 points. But it was the month of February that would really show us how quickly career highs could be broken.
On Feb. 8, 2014, Dragic only shot the ball 13 times but finished with 34 points and 10 assists in a win against the Golden State Warriors. Two weeks later, he set a new career high with 35 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets. Less than a week later, he would set yet another career high, but we’ll get to that soon.
For now, just enjoy his impressive showing against Houston:
Next: No. 4
4. Game-Winner vs. Grizzlies
In their last 11 meetings with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Phoenix Suns are 2-9. In one of those two victories, it took a last-second shot from an under-the-weather Goran Dragic to seal the deal.
In an 82-80 home win over Memphis on Dec. 12, 2012, Dragic only had 12 points on the night, but none were more important than the two he scored with 0.5 seconds left to give Phoenix the lead and ultimately, the victory.
By chance, I was at Suns shoot-around that morning to interview Dragic for a video piece, which eventually had to be scrapped and re-done later because of how sick he looked on camera. He did his best to answer questions, but it looked like he needed to sit out, drink fluids and get some rest. Instead, Gogi came out and hit the game-winner.
Displaying the same crafty footwork that makes him so difficult to defend near the rim, Dragic pivoted around Marc Gasol and scooped the ball up and in to give the Suns a win. It was the first and only game-winner of his NBA career.
Next: No. 3
3. 2013-14 Award Season
In the middle of the best season of his career, Dragic was snubbed from the All-Star Game. But when awards season rolled around, the voters made sure to reward the Dragon for his stellar year, giving him the 2014 Most Improved Player of the Year Award and selecting him as Third Team All-NBA (and it should’ve been Second Team over Tony Parker, to be perfectly honest).
Dragic averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from three-point range.
He joined Jeff Hornacek, Drazen Petrovic, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only qualifying players to ever average at least 20 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from downtown (along with Larry Bird, Dale Ellis, Kiki Vandeweghe and Chris Mullin).
Adding in at least five assists per game, he also joined LeBron James, Larry Bird and Jeff Hornacek as the only players to ever match those numbers in a season. Not a bad season for a guy who was once called the worst player in the league.
Next: No. 2
2. 2010 Western Conference Semifinals, Game 3
This was the game that put the NBA on notice about Goran Dragic and his potential. This was the game that converted you if you weren’t already onboard with Dragic as a fan favorite. This was the game that was agonizingly painful to put at the No. 2 spot instead of No. 1.
Going against the team that originally drafted him, Gogi and the Suns had a 2-0 lead on the San Antonio Spurs in the 2010 Western Conference semifinals. Heading into the first game of the series in San Antonio, the Suns took advantage of their opportunity to seize momentum, but it was really the Dragon that sucker-punched the Spurs off the bench.
Scoring 23 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, Dragic went off on Tim Duncan and company. Nobody could stop him. He made 10 of his 13 shots, nailed five of his five three-point attempts (including a four-point play), and helped the Suns overcome an early 18-point deficit en route to a 3-0 series lead. The Suns would go on to sweep the series.
In the words of Grant Hill: “I think it’s safe to say that may have been the best fourth quarter performance I have ever seen in a playoff game.”
Watching these highlights now, there’s nothing particularly special that Suns fans haven’t seen over the last two years. But this was the moment the “heir to Steve Nash” label started to look like a reality. Plus, what better way to endear yourself to Suns fans forever than dropping 23 points on the San Antonio Spurs?
Next: No. 1
1. The Dragon Soars To A New Career High
Dragic’s performance against the Spurs in the 2010 NBA Playoffs was the moment we realized he might be good one day. But his 2013-14 season, capped off by a career-high 40 points against the New Orleans Pelicans, was the defining moment of his career thus far, and that’s why it gets the edge at No. 1.
In the middle of Gogi’s best season, the Suns needed wins to stay in the playoff picture. Anthony Davis came to play for the Pellies, finishing with 32 points and nine boards. But on that night, he was only the second best player on the court.
Finishing with 40 points on 14-of-21 shooting (not to mention five assists), the Dragon was breathing so much fire Anthony Davis’ brow was in danger of being singed in half. At one point in the game, Dragic drained a three and flung his arms up in the air as if to say “Are you not entertained??”
It wasn’t quite as good as the big balls dance, but it was close. In that game, Dragic set a new career high for himself for the second time in a week. It was also his third new career high in a month, pairing him with Rod Strickland as the only players in NBA history to ever accomplish that feat.
As someone who was in the arena for that game, there haven’t been many nights in US Airways Center quite as exhilarating as that moment. When the crowd started chanting “MVP! MVP! MVP” it didn’t feel silly or misplaced either.
People have forgotten with Dragic taking on a different role this year, but he was a top-five point guard last season. The MVP award was never going to anyone other than Kevin Durant or LeBron James, but Dragic might have been a top five candidate there too. That’s how good his season was, and we knew it the moment he dropped 40 on the league’s next rising star.
Next: Phoenix Suns: 5 Lessons From The 2015 NBA Trade Deadline