Valley of the Suns
Fansided

The Phoenix Suns are the centerpiece of the biggest what-if in NBA history

By Ryan Bawek

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19, 1982 : Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a skyhook during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at The Forum, Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19, 1982 : Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a skyhook during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at The Forum, Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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Phoenix Suns (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) /

The Coin Flip: March 19, 1969

Why was this coin flip so momentous and worthy of who knows how many words by me in this what-if article 51 years later it took place?

Because it was for the right to draft Lew Alcindor, who you may know as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Alcindor was the most heralded prospect in basketball history. A true can’t-miss prospect who everybody and their mom knew was going to dominate the league for the next 10-20 years.

The fate of two NBA franchises and possibly the direction of the entire league and game of basketball was riding on the whim of the bounce of a single solitary coin that was flipped OVER THE PHONE!

Man, the sports world was in a different place in 1969. I know the internet didn’t exist and the NBA wasn’t the cultural phenomenon it became in the 1980s and 1990s, but the idea that an event like this took place without any TV cameras and not even with team representatives in the same room (was there some sort of quarantine going in 1969?) is mind-blowing.

Also, both teams just trusted the outcome of such an important decision and that it was done in an ethical and honest manner without even needing to see it happen with THEIR OWN EYES?!

Colangelo asked the league to pick a side for the coin flip and engaged fans once again through a newspaper poll and fans choose “Heads” (did the phrase “Tails Never Fails” not exist in 1969?)

If you really want to dive into a deep hole of depression, watch this video of Colangelo talking about the coin flip and how it went down (hint: the flip technically went the Suns way).

The rest, as they say, is history.

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