PHOENIX — "The Matrix" has officially had his place cemented in the history of the Phoenix Suns as the team honored Shawn Marion by retiring his #31 and inducting him into the Ring of Honor on Friday night at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
"It's surreal right now," Marion said during a pregame press conference. "Everybody keeps asking me if I’ve cried or if I’ve got emotional yet. I guess I’ve got to wait and see until it actually goes up there and there’s no telling what will happen. I don’t know. But it’s definitely sending chills through my body."
Marion is the 16th player to be inducted into the Suns' Ring of Honor and is the 11th former player to have his number retired by the franchise.
Marion, who was a key member of the "Seven Seconds or Less" era, was drafted by the Suns with 9th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft out of UNLV. In eight-and-a-half seasons with the Suns, Marion played in 660 games and averaged 18.4 points, 1.4 blocks, 1.9 steals, two assists and 10 rebounds per game.
And while his career came to an end almost nine years ago and his time with the Suns ended nearly 15 years ago, Marion says this was the right time for the Suns to honor him.
"It’s such a crazy feeling because I’ve contemplated so many different things when I actually get asked this question a lot," Marion said. "And over the time with me, why it hadn’t happened sooner and all this other stuff, but this is the right timing for this. That’s how I’m looking at it right now. Forget about everybody asking me, everybody keeps saying, (it) should’ve been done a long time ago, yada yada yada. It’s done and it wouldn’t have been right then. It’s right now. And that’s what it’s about."
Looking back on his time with the Suns, Marion said he didn't have a favorite moment.
"I have favorite moments," Marion said. "No one moment in particular. You know, of course, being drafted was a great moment and making the playoffs was a great moment, you know, hitting a game-winner was a great moment, getting a block to win a game was a great one or whatever it was, I think you just can’t sum up this journey in just one moment. It’s impossible."
Suns guard Devin Booker paid a special tribute to Marion before Friday night's game against the New York Knicks by wearing Marion's shoes during warmups.
Marion said he was touched by the move and wished more players acted like Booker.
"Man, Book is something special. And I’m (going to) tell you, he’s one the few guys that definitely pay respect and homage to guys that paved the way before him," Marion said. "These guys, some of these guys I get to be around, (were) making around $50,000 a year at the time or less than that. And now these guys are making $50 million a year. Big upscale from those guys who was making that $50, and $25,000 a year, the ones that paved the way for us to do what we’re doing right now and what I was able to do."
After the game, Booker gave Marion the Jordan 5 PE's he wore during warmups and a pair of Booker's signature shoes, the Book 1's.
Marion also said it still bothers him that he was not able to win a championship with the Suns.
"That’s one of the things I felt like I owed it to the fans," Marion said. "I wasn’t able to help bring a championship here. That ate at me a lot. That’s one thing I really tried to strive for here when I was here."
The four-time All-Star did win an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
You can watch Marion's full Ring of Honor induction ceremony here.
You can watch his full pregame press conference here.
Marion is one of two Suns heading into the Ring of Honor this season. Amar'e Stoudemire will have his #32 retired and be inducted into the Ring of Honor on March 2 when the Suns host the Houston Rockets.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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