Argument for inclusion in the Ring of Honor
Leandro Barbosa’s one individual league-wide honor came in the 2006-07 season when he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Averaging a career-high 18.1 points, he followed up his career-high scoring average with 2.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and an astounding 43.4% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. His contribution helped to propel the franchise to the 60-win mark for the third time in franchise history, and he won the award in blowout fashion with 578 points on 101 first place votes. San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili finished second in voting with only 18 first place votes, and 269 total points.
Barbosa would followup his ’07 award with a second place finish the following year, however, Ginobili would blow him away in voting with 123 first place votes to Barbosa’s one (the only two players to even receive first place votes that season). Leonardo would never again finish near the top in the award’s voting.
In his career overall with the Suns, Barbosa has played in the ninth most games in franchise history, and although he may never get the chance to continue to climb that ladder, he is within striking distance of catching and passing Dan Majerle. Of the eight players ahead of him in games played, only Alvin Scott is not a member of the Suns’ Ring of Honor, although his role on the Suns was never as important as the rest of the names on the list having career averages of 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, generally in a deep bench role.
Although his 2013-14 season in Phoenix was only a post-All-Star break stint of 20 games, Barbosa has been on the roster for nine seasons in total, tied for fifth most in franchise history. He only sits behind Alvan Adams (13 seasons), Kevin Johnson (12), Walter Davis (11), Steve Nash (10), and is tied with Shawn Marion and Dick Van Arsdale with nine. Every one of those other players are either currently in the Ring of Honor, or a shoe-in to be recognized someday. Of the four players to have been with the franchise for eight seasons, Dan Majerle is in, and Amar’e will too have a guaranteed spot.
Barbosa played in a total 13,035 minutes over those nine seasons, 12th most in franchise history. Of those ahead of him, only Larry Nance and Jeff Hornacek are not members of the Ring, although a similar overall argument of recognition and inclusion to Leandro Barbosa can be made for each of them, something that maybe the franchise could be implored to consider at some point in the future.
Aside from his speed, Leandro’s outside shooting was his offensive calling card as he was a prolific and very good three-point shooter. Barbosa ranks fourth in franchise history in three-point shot attempts with 1904 (all three players ahead of him, Nash, Majerle and Marion, are or will be in the RoH), and third in franchise history in makes with 751, with only Nash and Majerle ahead of him. Of all 29 players in franchise history who have attempted at least 500 three’s, Barbosa is tied for fifth with the highest three-point shooting percentage at 39.4%. Nash, Raja Bell, Jared Dudley, and Wesley Person are each ahead of him. His percentage ties him with Jason Richardson.
Although Barbosa’s career scoring average with the Suns isn’t anything too special (11.7) as his offensive numbers dropped as his usage sank, he is 13th all-time in total career points (6,443) for Phoenix, with every member ahead of him (possibly save for Larry Nance), is, or will eventually be in, the Ring of Honor. He is 17th in career assists with 1,321 (only Jason Kidd, Jay Humphries, Kyle Macy, and Eric Bledsoe will likely not make the Ring of Honor ahead of him, although 16th overall Shawn Marion is a lock). Further, he is 12th all-time in steals, with only Marion, Hornacek, Kidd, Nance, and Macy not currently in the RoH. And again, Marion will one day be recognized.
What is most impressive with all of these stats and rankings within the history of the Phoenix Suns is that Barbosa was only the regular starting point guard once, his rookie season in 2003-04 after Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway were shipped off in the middle of the year. Otherwise he was a perpetual sixth man starting in only 109 or 553 career games in Phoenix. If you exclude his rookie year, Barbosa only started 13% of games played with the Suns. Including his rookie year, and that number only jumps to 19.7%.