Jason Richardson’s Top 5 Moments With The Phoenix Suns
1. In-Game Dunks
Jason Richardson’s dunking ability was never more apparent than when he competed in three consecutive Slam Dunk Contests from 2002-04. Those dunk contests were early in his career with the Warriors and helped put his name on the map as one the game’s elite high fliers.
But even as he got older, J-Rich was certainly capable of thrilling the home crowd at US Airways Center with magnificent in-game dunks as well.
Even over the course of three seasons with the Suns, there are too many dunks to cover. But a few of his most memorable in-game jams had to be included to some capacity, so we’re jam-packing as many as we can here. For starters, there was the time he baptized Manu Ginobili, something that Suns fans can appreciate even if he was still playing for the Warriors at the time:
Fast-forward to 2010, with J-Rich in a Suns uniform. Though he’s no longer in his athletic prime, Richardson is still more than enough bounce in his step to embarrass the entire Chicago Bulls frontcourt with this epic tip slam:
It didn’t take long for J-Rich to start impressing the fans of Phoenix. When Shaquille O’Neal found him on the fast break in a road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Richardson threw down a disrespectful 360 slam dunk in the open court.
Funnily enough, that’s not the only time J-Rich threw down a 360 dunk against OKC while wearing a Suns jersey:
And remember how Matt Barnes played for the Suns once upon a time? The two former Warrior teammates hooked up in Phoenix on this fast break, with J-Rich rewarding Barnes for the find with an emphatic windmill that may have been his best dunk with the Suns:
We could go on and on, but you get the point. In an era when superstars rarely finish wide open dunks on the fast break with that kind of flourish, Jason Richardson had plenty of high-flying posters to his name.
It’s somewhat unfair that his No. 1 moment with the Suns is simply summed up as “Dunks! Dunks! Dunks!,” since Jason Richardson was a far more well-rounded player than he’s given credit for. From his three-point efficiency to his improved defense to his longevity as a useful role player, J-Rich was more than just an emphatic dunker, especially in Phoenix.
But if we had to take one lasting image from Richardson’s time with the Suns, it’d be impossible to narrow it down. The truth is, what most fans will remember most about his time in Phoenix — other than that damned missed boxout — was the thrill he gave the fans every time he rose above the rim.
Next: Steve Nash: Top 10 Moments With The Phoenix Suns