Curse from p 13 Michael Johnson, a devout Suns fan, told Phoenix New Times. “It just won’t stop.” In 2008, Bleacher Report tapped Phoenix as the worst-cursed sports city in America. It wasn’t long after the article was published that the Report’s Elijah Manders offered this spot-on prognosis: “I know the Suns will be good again, damn good, but don’t tell me they’ll win a title.” He also chaffed that “With our luck, the Warriors will keep Stephen Curry, and he’ll be better than Reggie Miller ever was.” Oh, buddy, if only you knew what was coming. The curse that plagues the Suns goes back to 1969. That’s when, a year after the expansion Suns started playing in the NBA, fans heard this: “It’s tails! The Bucks win! They get Lew Alcindor!” CBS commentator Johnny Morris spouted that exclamation as the Suns lost the coin flip that gave the Milwaukee Bucks the No. 1 pick in the draft. It was a turning point in the history of the young Suns, which went on to select Neal Walk. Alcindor, later and better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, winning six NBA championships and three MVP Awards to become the league’s all-time leading scorer. Walk would spend five disen- chanting seasons in Phoenix before being traded to the New Orleans Jazz. The Suns, meanwhile, would make the playoffs just Christian Petersen/Getty Images once in the next seven years. On March 20, 1969, the day after the coin flip, Arizona Republic sports editor Verne Boatner wrote, “The Phoenix Suns have been struggling since last March to become accepted in the community. Yesterday, on the blackest day of the infant franchise’s history, all indications were that they had succeeded.” But, he continued, “Everywhere you turned, people took the coin toss hard — and personal.” The moment became known as The Curse of the Coin, something the Suns have yet to break. “That’s just one example in a long line of bad luck, bad decisions, or a fine mixture of both,” Mark Liden, a Suns fan who lives in Monty Williams talks with his players during a timeout in Game Five of the 2021 NBA Finals. The Suns lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Scottsdale, told New Times. “They’re the oldest team in the NBA to have never hoisted a championship banner. It’s frus- trating being a fan of them.” >> p 17 14 NOV 10TH–NOV 16TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
