Top 8 Phoenix Suns Moments from Christmas Day Games

Phoenix Suns Top Christmas Day Moments

These two moments take us into the top five, which feature two serious bruisers from Phoenix’s past. They both played during different eras, but now work right across from each other as broadcast partners.

No. 5 – Shaq slams over Tim Duncan and three other Spurs defenders, 2008

San Antonio unfortunately bested the Suns during this Christmas Day game, with Roger Mason playing as the Grinch by hitting a triple to knock off Phoenix at the buzzer. But before all that, Shaquille O’Neal stuffed one over fellow Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, as well as Matt Bonner and Michael Finley.

On the play, the Diesel actually missed his first two shot attempts inside, but he stayed with it, and then brought down the hammer. For a player who spent his best playing days outside the Suns organization, watching him posterize another superstar on Christmas of all days certainly felt nostalgic.

No. 4 – Charles Barkley outduels Hakeem and the Rockets with a bad back, 1993

Before the Suns took on the Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets during the Western Conference Semifinals, they met beforehand on Christmas Day. But entering the bout, Charles Barkley found himself contemplating retirement, suffering and playing through endless back injuries.

But with the world watching, Barkley pushed through the pain, finishing with 38 points and to take down Houston. Olajuwon himself finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds, but Barkley snuck past him for his final bucket, faking a screen and then rolling to the rim to put the game out of reach with roughly three minutes to play.