Every Denver Nuggets fan likely struggled to enjoy themselves during their team’s home stand against the Phoenix Suns, where they witnessed their team lose twice and consequently fall victim to a series sweep. However, no one seemed to experience a worse time than one unfortunate Nuggets fans attending Game 3, who ended up partaking in a tussle with another extremely passionate Suns fan.
The fight mirrored the game quite accurately, ending with the man wearing Suns threads as a clear winner. But a video showing him mid-way through the scuffle shouting, “Suns in four” went viral almost immediately.
Soon dubbed the “Suns in Four Guy” across social media, the fan is now attracting a heavy spotlight as the NBA playoffs progress, with many celebrating his fiery spirit for Phoenix basketball even amidst the violence which ensued. Several prominent figures later inquired about the Suns in Four Guy, including our own esteemed playoff performer Devin Booker.
After Phoenix completed the sweep, Booker tweeted out a screenshot from the viral video depicting the Suns in Four Guy. You can clearly see him holding up four fingers, referencing his prediction which would soon come to pass a few days later. Above the picture, Booker simply wrote, “Need mans info.” Although the post came across as very vague, likely as intended, many assumed Booker aimed to indeed make contact with the Suns in Four Guy and offer him tickets or merchandise.
The whole ordeal seemed to provoke additional chippy altercations from fans though. After a brief shoving match between Booker and Nikola Jokic, which ensued after a hard foul that gave way to Jokic’s ejection, NBA officials were needed to keep two fans revealed to be Jokic’s brothers restrained, as they shouted at Booker with aggression and maliciousness.
But as for the now famous Suns in Four Guy, it appears Booker indeed managed to reach him, with DBook locating the alleged fan’s instagram account and commenting, “The legend” under an old post of his. The two also exchanged direct messages, where the Suns in Four Guy cited self defense as an excuse for his violent actions, to which Booker screenshotted and posted onto his story.
It remains to be seen whether or not Booker hooked the Suns in Four Guy up with tickets, as Phoenix’s Conference Finals opponent still remains undetermined. But regardless, Booker’s efforts to even connect with him speaks volumes about his appreciation for Suns nation.
Working to make fans feel close to and valued by those they root for only warrants more support. It inspires interest, engagement, and most importantly—fun. It too comes as a welcome narrative following a season where the player-fan relationship took a serious hit with COVID-19 limiting occupancy at first, and then an instance occurring after restrictions were lifted where a fan poured popcorn over Russell Westbrook, causing widespread player outrage.
Hopefully going forward though, a more peaceful ordeal will be able to bridge Phoenix’s players with their fans. But who knows. The Suns themselves never back down to anyone, and we now know neither do their fans.