Suns planning to play outdoor preseason game.

by mdierk on Jan 25, 2008 1:48 PM MST

from ESPN.com

At parks and in driveways across the country, basketball is played outdoors under the lights.

So why not let the pros play an NBA game in the great outdoors, too?

The Phoenix Suns are planning to play the NBA's first outdoor game during next year's preseason at the Indian Wells (Calif.) Tennis Garden, Suns president and CEO Rick Welts said, according to the Arizona Republic.

The idea is far enough along that the Suns have laid out a basketball court at the outdoor tennis stadium, and team general manager Steve Kerr has visited the site, according to the report. While some details need to be ironed out, an official announcement could be made in a month, the newspaper reported.

According to the report, Suns part-owner Dick Heckmann, who lives in the Palm Springs, Calif., area, got the idea from a local parks manager and passed it along to Welts.

"It's a completely unique experience," Welts said, according to the Republic. "We like to do new and exciting things. I think it would be remarkably successful."

Indian Wells has a capacity of 16,100 and features loge seating and 44 suites, but no roof. The Suns would need to provide the playing floor, scoreboard and video boards for the event, according to the report.

"It's going to be incredibly cool," Welts predicted, according to the Republic.

This does look pretty cool. It is natural since all of the outdoor sports want to be indoors, might as well have the indoor sport outdoors. I hope the Suns will finally take the NBA championship this year. They got screwed last season and the Spurs championship is tainted.
New member here. I'm usually in other sports blogs, but I am a huge Suns fan from New Mexico.

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kind of hoped

they wouldn't bring the floor with them, but stick with concrete....just seems to make the outdoor game more like streetball, for the last 5 minutes, they should have to play with someone's car headlights being the only light for that extra realism effect!
Oh, also chain nets so we could see some missing fingers....

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 27, 2008 8:42 AM MST reply actions

oh noes

as much time as some ballers are spending on the floor (take Barbose for example, he is on the floor after every drive to the loop), playing on anything but hardwood floor could end up dangerous for them.

by emirem on Jan 28, 2008 9:58 AM MST reply actions