The best 3-on-3 teams from the Phoenix Suns for each Olympic year

2008

Steve Nash
Amar’e Stoudemire
Leandro Barbosa

On a personal note, 2008 stands out because it was the year I moved to the Valley of the Sun for no particular reason. Now, 12 years later, I have no plans for departing anytime soon.

This was the year another big name moved to Phoenix, Shaquille O’Neill, who came to the Suns as part of the blockbuster trade that said farewell to Shawn Marion and the 7-seconds-or-less era.

The Suns made the playoffs that season but lost in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs.

With no Marion, fielding a 3-on-3 team is not easy. Sure, the first two are automatic with Nash and Amar’e, but I can’t in good conscience add Shaq to that team. He was 35 years old, past his prime, and going through many injuries. Also, pairing him up with Amar’e in a 3-on-3 situation would not be ideal.

So who to pick as the third? Grant Hill? He was also 35 years old and past his prime. Plus ESPN just replayed the 1992 Duke-Kentucky game where he threw the in-bounds pass to the player-we-shall-not-speak-of (hint: he shouldn’t have been on the Dream Team) and ruined my childhood, so screw that guy.

I gotta go with Leandro Barbosa. The Brazilian Blur would work great in the open space available in 3-on-3. Combine that with the pick-and-roll expertise of Nash and Amar’e and this is still a quality team, even without Marion.