1994–95 Phoenix Suns season

The 1994–95 Phoenix Suns season was the 27th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. The city of Phoenix, Arizona hosted the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena this season. During the off-season, the Suns signed free agents, All-Star forward Danny Manning, Wayman Tisdale, and Danny Schayes. The team had the 23rd overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Wesley Person from the University of Auburn.

With the addition of Manning, Tisdale and Person, the Suns won 10 of their first 13 games of the regular season, and posted a seven-game winning streak in December. The team posted another seven-game winning streak in January, and later on held the league's best record at 38–10 before the All-Star break. The Suns won eight of their final nine games of the season, and finished in first place in the Pacific Division with a 59–23 record, earning the second seed in the Western Conference; this was the first time in the team's franchise history, in which they had ended the season with 55 or more wins for three consecutive seasons.

All-Star forward Charles Barkley averaged 23.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while Manning averaged 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 46 games due to a torn ligament in his left knee, which sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season, as he did not appear in any NBA playoff games for the Suns. In addition, point guard Kevin Johnson averaged 15.5 points and led the team with 7.7 assists per game, despite only playing just 47 games due to injuries, while three-point specialist Dan Majerle provided the team with 15.6 points per game, and finished the season tied for second with 199 three-point field goals, and A.C. Green provided with 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Person contributed 10.4 points per game and 116 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while Tisdale contributed 10.0 points per game, Elliot Perry played most of the regular season as the team's starting point guard in Johnson's absence, as he averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and led the Suns with 1.9 steals per game, and Danny Ainge contributed 7.7 points per game off the bench.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Barkley and Majerle were both selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while head coach Paul Westphal was selected to coach the Western Conference; it was the ninth All-Star selection for Barkley, and the third and final selection for Majerle. In addition, Majerle also participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout, while Person and undrafted rookie point guard Trevor Ruffin were both selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as members of the White team. After the regular season had ended, Barkley was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and also finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Perry finished in second place in Most Improved Player voting, behind Dana Barros of the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the 7th–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, a team that featured All-Star forward Clifford Robinson, Rod Strickland, and sixth man Otis Thorpe. The Suns won the first two games over the Trail Blazers at home at the America West Arena, before winning Game 3 on the road, 117–109 at the Memorial Coliseum to win the series in a three-game sweep.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the Suns faced off against the 6th–seeded, and defending NBA champion Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center Hakeem Olajuwon, All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, and Robert Horry. The Suns won the first two games at the America West Arena, then after losing Game 3 to the Rockets on the road, 118–85 at The Summit, the Suns won Game 4 on the road, 114–110 to take a 3–1 series lead over the Rockets. However, the Rockets managed to win the next three games, as the Suns lost Game 7 to the Rockets at the America West Arena, 115–114, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Rockets would go on to defeat the Orlando Magic in a four-game sweep in the 1995 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.

The Suns finished seventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 779,943 at the America West Arena during the regular season. Following the season, Majerle was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Ainge retired, Richard Dumas signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, Schayes signed with the Miami Heat during the next season, and Ruffin was left unprotected in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies expansion team.

For the season, the Suns added new black alternate road uniforms, which would remain in use until 2000.