Dan Bickley is the most influential sports media member in Arizona sports history, having spent over 20 years as the award-winning lead sports columnist for The Arizona Republic and AZCentral.com and almost two decades as a Valley sports radio talk show host. In spring 2018, Bickley made the decision to leave the newspaper to join the Arizona Sports team as host of the entertaining and informative Bickley & Marotta show, as well as bring his opinionated and provocative column exclusively to arizonasports.com.
Bickley’s journalism career began in his hometown of Chicago, where he was part of a star-studded staff at the Chicago Sun-Times. He chronicled Michael Jordan’s six NBA championships; covered the Olympics in eight different countries and attended 14 Super Bowls; spent three weeks in an Indianapolis courthouse writing about Mike Tyson’s rape trial; and once left his laptop in an Edmonton bar after the Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
He has won multiple awards, written two books, formed a rock band, fathered three children and once turned down an offer to work at the New York Times. His passions include sports, music, the alphabet, good beer and great radio. After joining Arizona Sports 98.7, he couldn’t be happier.
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DAN BICKLEY | Jun 22, 2025Heavy lifting for the Suns begins following Kevin Durant trade
After trading Kevin Durant, the real heavy lifting for the Suns this offseason begins, Dan Bickley writes.
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DAN BICKLEY | Jun 16, 2025Suns owe Kevin Durant nothing when searching for trade partner
The Suns owe Kevin Durant nothing and need to mind their own best interests when searching for a trade partner.
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DAN BICKLEY | Jun 13, 2025Cardinals fostering elite chemistry, vibes in 2025
Can there be great chemistry in the NFL, a league where teams are small armies? The Cardinals might test that theory in 2025.
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ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS | Jun 11, 2025D-backs might have what they needed all along following series sweep vs. Mariners
The Diamondbacks might have what they needed all along following a series sweep over the Mariners, Dan Bickley writes.
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DAN BICKLEY | Jun 10, 2025New Suns coach Jordan Ott makes positive 1st impression with hurdles ahead
Jordan Ott checked the first box, he made a positive first impression. Take the W, Suns fans. They haven’t given us many lately, Dan Bickley writes.
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DAN BICKLEY | Jun 4, 2025Mat Ishbia’s internal memo puts a target on the Suns
Mat Ishbia's attempt to distance himself from the previous two seasons by inserting himself deeper into the story is troubling, Dan Bickley writes.
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DAN BICKLEY | Jun 2, 2025Suns at a green-and-white crossroads as coaching search nears end
The Suns wear purple and orange. They’re turning green and white. They are an NBA franchise run through the Spartyfy app.
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ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS | May 28, 2025Ken Kendrick must wonder if it’s time to move on from Torey Lovullo
After nine years of Torey Lovullo, Ken Kendrick must wonder: Is it time for a new voice? Something different? Change for the sake of change?
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DAN BICKLEY | May 20, 2025Pacers’ rise in NBA postseason a reminder of Suns’ past failures
Hindsight is the devil for all failed regimes. But if James Jones had only known then what he knows now, the Suns wouldn’t be in a dire predicament.
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DAN BICKLEY | May 14, 2025Bickley: The Cardinals will be a playoff team in 2025
The Arizona Cardinals will finish 10-7 and make the playoffs as an NFC wild card. Dan Bickley reacts to the full 2025 schedule being released.
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PHOENIX SUNS | May 13, 2025Suns’ redemption arc could start with a Mikal Bridges reunion, Jerry Colangelo statue
Here are a pair of maneuvers for a Suns team in the midst of a credibility crisis: trade for Mikal Bridges and make Jerry Colangelo a statue.
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DAN BICKLEY | May 12, 2025Bickley: Suns dodge major blow during NBA draft lottery, better nail next move
The Suns emerged from the NBA draft lottery unscathed. Now it's time for the recently dysfunctional organization to take the next best step.
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DAN BICKLEY | May 7, 2025James Jones departs as top Suns executive with a complicated legacy
Legacies can be complicated, especially for a Phoenix Suns team still seeking its first NBA championship. Consider the footprint of James Jones.
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DAN BICKLEY | May 6, 2025Suns GM Brian Gregory draws conflicting feelings from intro press conference
Suns GM Brian Gregory failed to present a unique vision, but he came off as likeable, authentic and real in his introductory press conference.
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PHOENIX SUNS | May 1, 2025Mat Ishbia broke 2 rules naming Brian Gregory the Suns’ new GM
Mat Ishbia promised something new and exciting. He’s delivering something self-serving and stale in hiring new Phoenix Suns GM Brian Gregory.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 28, 2025Cardinals rebuild has reached the point of playoff expectations
There's no gray area about where the Arizona Cardinals stand in their rebuild on the tail end of the offseason. It's time for them to make the playoffs.
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ARIZONA CARDINALS | Apr 24, 2025In surging copycat league, Cardinals continue following Eagles with Walter Nolen pick
The NFL is a copycat league, and the Eagles are reigning Super Bowl champions. Their DNA is clearly coursing through the Arizona Cardinals.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 22, 2025Suns’ Mat Ishbia can learn from Diamondbacks’ Ken Kendrick when it comes to front offices
It's clear how much Mat Ishbia wants to win, but he needs to get the next front office hire right the way Ken Kendrick did for the Diamondbacks with Mike Hazen.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 17, 2025How do we measure Mat Ishbia’s ownership of the Suns?
There are levels to bad owners in the NBA. Mat Ishbia of the Suns is nowhere near the bottom, and he deserves time to learn, fail and get it right.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 16, 2025Suns need Devin Booker to return next year on a mission after down season
The Kevin and Devin Show flopped in Phoenix, and the Suns will need the best version of Devin Booker to pull them back to relevance.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 14, 2025Mike Budenholzer firing inevitable after Suns’ most disappointing season in franchise history
The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns are easily the most disappointing team in franchise history, and Mike Budenholzer's termination was inevitable.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 12, 2025The Masters’ reverence, tradition make it 1 of the most unique events in sports
The power of the Masters Tournament is in the past, in the living nostalgia of yesteryear. But the beauty of the Masters is in the present.
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DAN BICKLEY | Apr 2, 2025Diamondbacks are a pillar of organizational stability in Arizona
The Arizona Diamondbacks mark our most competent major professional sports franchise in the state.
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DAN BICKLEY | Mar 26, 2025The nostalgia of Opening Day is bigger than baseball
The Diamondbacks have had all kinds of nostalgia, good or bad, throughout their history on Opening Day. So what will Thursday night bring?