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The most-read ArizonaSports.com stories of 2021

Dec 31, 2021, 11:00 AM

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BY ARIZONA SPORTS


FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2021, file photo, Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury walks on the field before the team's NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif. Kingsbury and an assistant coach and a player will miss the Cardinals' game Sunday at Cleveland after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) January: Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald sold his Paradise Valley mansion for $18 million -- a large sum but the news moreso told fans that his NFL career might be over in the Valley. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) February: Chris Paul was caught drinking from bottle labeled ‘secret stuff’ in an otherwise forgettable blowout of the Memphis Grizzlies. (Twitter screenshot/@FOXSPORTSAZ) Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) walks off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) March: Devin Booker got ejected against the Lakers after a questionable double-technical on a nationally televised broadcast that foreshadowed a playoff meeting for the Suns. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) Phoenix Suns' Torrey Craig (12) dunks during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns in Milwaukee, Sunday, July 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) April: Arizona coach Sean Miller was fired in wake of NCAA charges that had hung over his program for the previous few seasons. He's since been replaced by Tommy Lloyd, who has the Wildcats ending the year as a top-10 ranked team. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) April: Reactions poured in from fans after the Cardinals drafted Zaven Collins, the team's second consecutive ILB taken in the first round. In the coming days, Collins would be labeled by GM Steve Keim as the starter over veteran Jordan Hicks. Hicks requested a trade but stuck around and quickly grabbed his starting role back. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) May: Just a game into his team's first playoff appearance in more than a decade, Suns guard Chris Paul suffered a reported stinger injury against the Lakers. That lingered well into the next series. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) and Suns forward Jae Crowder (99) battle with Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) for the ball during the first half of Game 2 of their NBA basketball first-round playoff series Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) June: Devin Booker asked for help to get contact information of the "Suns in 4" fan, who went viral for getting into an altercation during the Suns' conference semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets. (Screenshot) Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and guard Chris Paul celebrate during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York) Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul (3) talks with Devin Booker (1) during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, in Milwaukee, Sunday, July 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley (21) smiles after fouling Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half of game 5 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Finals, Monday, June 28, 2021, in Phoenix. Beverley was called for a flagrant foul on the play. (AP Photo/Matt York) August: Kevin Durant praised Devin Booker’s ‘all-around’ play in a USA win vs. Spain after the Suns guard flew immediately to Japan for the Olympics coming off an NBA Finals defeat to Milwaukee. (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) Former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr., left, celebrates with Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, right, after a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves late in an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn) Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) looks for extra room to run as he gets past Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (38) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton) Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones (55) celebrates after sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski) Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, left, avoids the rush from Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd during the first half in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) October: Kyler Murray confronted former Texas A&M teammate Myles Garrett over the DE’s Halloween lawn decorations that included a gravestone of the Cardinals quarterback. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt prior to an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy (12) is pressured by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (91) during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn) December: Larry Fitzgerald will not be returning to Arizona Cardinals, our John Gambadoro reported. That possibility had come up once again with Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins' season over due to an MCL injury. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) December: The Cardinals clinched a playoff berth for first time since 2015 despite ending the calendar year on a three-game skid. A Los Angeles Rams win over the Minnesota Vikings a day after Christmas sealed Arizona's postseason appearance. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

It’s been a newsy year in the sports world.

The Phoenix Suns not only made the playoffs for the first time since 2010 but challenged for a title.

The Arizona Cardinals, with pressure mounting for results this year, swung big in the offseason and despite recent woes will make their own playoff appearance — the franchise’s first since 2015.

Coronavirus unfortunately didn’t go away, but teams maneuvered around fluid circumstances the best they could.

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And as we sit here with 2021 coming to a close, we have as little of a clue about the future of still-unretired future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald as we did when 2020 ended, though you can use the year of his leisure as evidence of what his “unretired” status really means.

Click through the slideshow above for a recap of ArizonaSports.com’s two most-read stories by month in 2021.

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