Tom Chambers among Suns eligible for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Dec 21, 2021, 5:30 PM
Tom Chambers #24, Power Forward for the Phoenix Suns attempts a three point jump shot to the basket over #2 Alex English, small forward for the Denver Nuggets during their NBA Midwest Division basketball game on 13th January 1990 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The Phoenix Suns won the game 119 - 111. (Photo by Tim DeFrisco/Allsport/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tim DeFrisco/Allsport/Getty Images)
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced a list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2022 on Tuesday, including former Phoenix Suns players and Valley coaches.
Former Suns power forward Tom Chambers made the list as a first-time nominee after a 16-year career in the league.
Chambers spent five seasons in Phoenix from 1988-93 playing in 380 games for the Suns. The forward had some of his best years in the Valley, making the All-Star Game three times during his tenure.
He signed with the Suns during the summer of 1988 and made an immediate impact in the upcoming season. In his first year with the team, Chambers averaged 25.7 points per game to go along with 8.4 rebounds, the highest single-season average he had during his career.
The following season, Chambers continued his offensive success. In the 1989-90 season, he averaged a career high 27.2 points per game and shot 50% from the field on the year.
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In his first two years in Phoenix, Chambers earned an All-NBA Second Team nods.
Along with Chambers, a few other former Suns’ found their names on the eligible list for the Class of 2022.
Former Suns’ Shawn Marion and Michael Finley remain eligible for the Hall of Fame after being first-time nominees in 2019.
After being drafted by Phoenix with the No. 9 overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, Marion would go on to play nine seasons for the Suns (660 games).
Marion, otherwise known as “The Matrix,” earned four All-Star selections while with the Suns and made the All-NBA 3rd Team twice.
As for Finley, the Suns drafted him No. 21 overall in the 1995 NBA Draft where he averaged 15 points as a rookie. However, the Suns would trade Finley to the Dallas Mavericks the following season in a deal that included All-Star point guard Jason Kidd.
A few former coaches in the Valley also found their names as repeating nominees. Long-time NBA coach and former Phoenix Mercury coach Paul Westhead is once again eligible for the Hall of Fame. Westhead spent two seasons as coach of the Mercury and brought a WNBA Championship to the Valley in 2007.
Former Suns head coach Johnny “Red” Kerr and former Suns assistant Tim Grgurich were also nominees.
