| Valley Suns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NBA G League |
| Founded | February 14, 2024 |
| History | Valley Suns 2024–present |
| Arena | Mullett Arena |
| Location | Tempe, Arizona |
| Team colors | Purple, orange, black, white[1][2] |
| Main sponsor | Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona Gila River Resorts & Casinos[3] |
| Team manager | Brendan Sabean |
| Head coach | Paul Jesperson |
| Ownership | Phoenix Suns |
| Affiliation | Phoenix Suns |
| Website | Official website |
TheValley Suns are an American professional basketball team of theNBA G League and the affiliate of thePhoenix Suns of theNational Basketball Association. Based inTempe, Arizona, and officially created on February 14, 2024, the team played their home games during the 2024–25 season atMullett Arena on the campus ofArizona State University.
On April 12, 2016, the Phoenix Suns announced that they had purchased theBakersfield Jam and would be relocating the team toPrescott Valley, Arizona, rebranding the team to theNorthern Arizona Suns.[4] On July 29, 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, theDetroit Pistons announced that they had purchased the franchise from the Phoenix Suns (who were owned byRobert Sarver at the time) and that following the Northern Arizona team skipping out on the pandemic-shortened2020–21 season entirely, the Pistons would move that team toDetroit to play as theMotor City Cruise.[5] With the creation of theRip City Remix, the affiliate of thePortland Trail Blazers ahead of the2023–24 season, the Suns were left as the only team without a G League affiliate.[6] However, months after the NBA approved ofMat Ishbia's primary ownership of the Phoenix Suns after they had previouslysuspended Sarver for the entire2022–23 NBA season, Ishbia noted that bringing in a new G League team for the Suns as early as the 2024–25 season would be a top priority for him.[7]
On February 14, 2024, the Phoenix Suns announced that they acquired the right to own and operate their new G League affiliate in Phoenix, marking the first time all 30 NBA teams had G League affiliates.[8] The team revealed their name, logo, and arena on May 22.[9] Anexpansion draft was held on June 13, where the Suns selected 14 unprotected returning players, with two of them including former NBA championQuinndary Weatherspoon and former Phoenix Suns playerThéo Maledon.[10] On September 3, the G League announced the Valley Suns' inaugural schedule, with their opening game being on the road on November 8 against theSanta Cruz Warriors and their home debut being three days later against theStockton Kings as a part of the newly minted Tip-Off Tournament.[11] A day after that, the Valley Suns made their first ever trade by trading a 2025 first-round pick in the 2025 NBA G League Draft to the defending championOklahoma City Blue in exchange for guardJaden Shackelford.[12] The Valley Suns would then make three more trades during the month of September and two more trades in the month of October, with two of their moves involving theAustin Spurs and two more moves also involving theIndiana Mad Ants, including one that featured a six-team trade.[13][14][15][16][17][18]
During their first season of play, the Valley Suns would lead the entire West Division with a 10–4 record to qualify for the newly rebranded Tip-Off Tournament (formerly known as the Showcase Tournament). However, the Suns squad would falter as the #5 seed to the eventual champions of the tournament, the #4 seedWestchester Knicks by a 127–119 defeat.[19] By the end of their first season of play, the Valley Suns franchise would make it to the G League playoffs, getting in a three-way tie for the last three playoff spots in the Western Conference between theSanta Cruz Warriors andRio Grande Valley Vipers with a 20–14 record. By virtue of tiebreakers, the Valley Suns acquired the #5 seed ahead of the Vipers, but behind the Warriors and later facing off against them in the first round. The Valley Suns would win their first ever playoff match 131–127 over Santa Cruz, but they would lose their second playoff match in the conference semifinals with a 122–114 loss to the eventual G League champions that season, the #1 seedStockton Kings.
On July 19, 2025, head coachJohn Little was hired onto thePhoenix Suns properly as an assistant coach under the coaching staff led by their newest head coach,Jordan Ott. As such, the Valley Suns would enter their second season with a new head coach leading the team, which was announced on August 18, 2025 to bePaul Jesperson (who was an assistant coach for the team the previous season) taking on the role.[20][21]
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason results | Head coach | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||||
| Valley Suns | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | Western | 5th | 20 | 14 | .588 | Won Conf. Quarterfinals (Santa Cruz) 131–127 Lost Conf. Semifinal (Stockton) 114–122 | John Little | ||
| Regular season record | 20 | 14 | .588 | 2024–present | |||||
| Playoff record | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2024–present | |||||
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)| Eastern Conference | |
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