PHOENIX SUNS

Charles Barkley in Suns hype video: It’s time to rally the Valley

May 20, 2021, 10:07 AM | Updated: 5:25 pm

After making a big offseason splash with the acquisition of point guard Chris Paul, the Phoenix Suns are back in the postseason after a decade-long drought.

The move has parallels to 1992 when the Suns traded for Charles Barkley. The end result? An NBA Finals appearance.

So with Phoenix’s postseason return, it’s only fitting Barkley and Suns teammate Dan Majerle tipped off the hype train Wednesday night in a video to fans.

“This is a basketball town. This is a Suns town. No disrespect to anyone else, but we were here first,” Barkley said.

“It’s time to get to work and rally the Valley.”

It won’t be an easy path for the Suns, who begin their gauntlet of the Western Conference with a first-round matchup against the reigning NBA Finals champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers knocked off the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night in the play-in tournament to lock in as the seven-seed. Despite being the two-seed, Phoenix is a heavy underdog against Los Angeles.

“This isn’t about the past, this isn’t about the future. It’s about right now. … This is where heroes are born and legends are made,” Barkley said.

“Booker’s preparing for this, CP was born for this, DA is rising just in time,” Majerle added. “From Jae to Jevon to everybody in between, they work hard at playing hard.”

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