2002–03 Phoenix Suns season

The 2002–03 Phoenix Suns season was the 35th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. After missing the playoffs the previous season, the Suns received the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, and selected power forward, and high school basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire, and signed free agent Scott Williams during the off-season.

In their first full season under head coach Frank Johnson, the Suns played around .500 in winning percentage with a 10–10 start to the regular season. However, the team won 11 of their next 13 games, and later on held a 29–21 record at the All-Star break. The Suns played slightly below .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 44–38 record, which was an 8-game improvement over the previous season, and earning the eighth seed in the Western Conference. After a one-year absence, the Suns returned to the NBA playoffs after snapping a streak of thirteen consecutive seasons the year before, which was a franchise record; the team also posted a successful 30–11 home record at the America West Arena, but struggled posting a 14–27 road record during the regular season.

Stephon Marbury averaged 22.3 points, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Shawn Marion averaged 21.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, and led the Suns with 141 three-point field goals, and Stoudemire provided the team with 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, and was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, Anfernee Hardaway provided with 10.6 points and 4.1 assists per game, but only played 58 games due to injury, while second-year guard Joe Johnson contributed 9.8 points per game, and first-round draft pick Casey Jacobsen contributed 5.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Jake Tsakalidis averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, but only played just 33 games, Tom Gugliotta provided with 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 27 games, Bo Outlaw averaged 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, and Williams contributed 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Marbury and Marion were both selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Marion's first ever All-Star appearance, and the second and final All-Star appearance for Marbury. Meanwhile, Stoudemire was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Rookies team, and also participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Marbury finished tied in 14th place in Most Improved Player voting, while Hardaway finished tied in 26th place; Marion finished tied in 13th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Joe Johnson finished tied in eleventh place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Frank Johnson finished in eleventh place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Suns faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Tim Duncan, second-year star Tony Parker, and David Robinson. The Suns won Game 1 over the Spurs on the road in overtime, 96–95 at the SBC Center, but then lost the next two games to the Spurs, before winning Game 4 at home, 86–84 at the America West Arena to even the series. However, the Suns lost the next two games, which included a Game 6 loss to the Spurs at the America West Arena, 87–85, thus losing the series in six games. The Spurs would go on to defeat the New Jersey Nets in six games in the 2003 NBA Finals, winning their second NBA championship in franchise history.

The Suns finished 16th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 666,559 at the America West Arena during the regular season. Following the season, Tsakalidis and Outlaw were both traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Williams was released to free agency, and would later on sign as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks midway through the next season, and Randy Brown retired.