The Phoenix Suns have been the NBA Bubble’s best team thus far, getting of to a scorching 6-0 start and entered Tuesday’s must-win (as they all have been for Phoenix) against the Sixers as the last unbeaten team in the seeding round.
It’s been a full month in the bubble for the Suns and the rest of the league, and that’s a long time to be away from your loved ones. To help give the Suns a little taste of home and give the starting five a nice, heartwarming surprise, the Suns had each of their families record their starter introduction and played the videos in the arena to the delight of the players.
Iโm not crying… you are
We surprised the team with starting lineups announced by their families at home ๐๐งก pic.twitter.com/xjtwYS7RN1
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) August 11, 2020
It’s a great touch from the organization to try and add that little connectivity back to home and let players see their loved ones, even if just for a moment, before the game. You could see the excitement — and confusion — of the players as they realized what was happening. Deandre Ayton’s face when he was trying to place the voice of his sister was terrific, and Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson’s excitement to see their families was absolutely adorable.
As the bubble season wears on, one of the tasks of teams will be to find ways to keep players feeling right emotionally, and this was a terrific gesture from the Suns. LeBron James was even impressed by the Suns doing this for their players.
That was AMAZING!!!!!!!! S/O the Suns for that. Damn I miss my family! ๐ข๐ข๐ขโค๏ธโค๏ธ #JamesGang๐ https://t.co/SSA8Dknpn3
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 11, 2020