Who Are Biggest Villains in Phoenix Suns History?

The nearly 60-year long history of the Phoenix Suns has bred many moments of joy, frustration, and heartbreak - this might even be an understatement. 

Phoenix remains an NBA franchise without an NBA title to this point, but are also relatively storied in the face of falling short. 

This includes in creating enemies. The Suns have faced a fair share of villains over the years, including John Paxon, Kobe Bryant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and countless others. However, these four names stand above the rest.

Robert Horry

Horry is very likely at the top of the list according to the consensus. Horry spent just five months as a member of the Suns from August 1996 to January 1997. He got moved to the Los Angeles Lakers after throwing a towel in head coach Danny Ainge's face after being subbed out of a game, but it doesn't end there.

One of Horry's most infamous moments in the NBA was in body checking Suns superstar Steve Nash into the scorer's table in the closing moments of a Phoenix victory in game four of the Western Conference Semifinals in May 2007.

The fallout from this moment very likely resulted in the exit of Mike D'Antoni, trade of two-way star Shawn Marion, and exit of GM Steve Kerr within three years of this moment.

David Stern/Tim Donaghy

Stern and Donaghy will always be tied to the Horry saga themselves. Donaghy is on record claiming that a high-up member of the NBA reffing community (Tommy Nunez) conditioned the referees to favor San Antonio in situational calls. Donaghy's indictment in a gambling scandal doesn't help his case in being an all-time Phoenix villain, either. 

Stern played a role in suspending Phoenix stars Amar'e Stoudemire and Raja Bell for leaving the bench in the above situation, which quite arguably cost the Suns their best chance at breezing to a ring. The strict enforcement of the rule made it a call that was easy at the time, but it will always reside in the minds of Suns fans in a negative light.

Luka Doncic

Doncic has been a villain from virtually day one of his NBA career. 

The Suns famously drafted Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick over Doncic, which created a frosty environment between the two sides right away. 

The 2022 Western Conference Semifinals series (including tensions with star Devin Booker) created even more dislike geared towards the Slovenian guard. Now, he is a member of Phoenix's bitter rivals in the Los Angeles Lakers and is as disliked now as he was four years ago.