Suns Swag: Top 5 under 5

Do you have the necessary funds to purchase ANYTHING game used during the 1993 NBA Finals?

No. No you do not. People with money like that do not read blogs like this written by guys like me. That is the most basic of basic science.

Benjamins are out of the equation. Lincolns may not not be. MAY not be. Who knows these days?

If you are fortunate to have an extra fiver in your coin purse, here is some not totally useless crap on eBay that you could add to your collection.

1. Salem Sportswear Salesman Samples Prototypes Caricature Catalog T Shirt Photos

When I was growing up, I loved stuff like this. You did too. Unless you didn’t, in which case you are probably considerably younger than I am, and have much more life left to live.

From the seller:

“Up for sale is a HUGE selection of Salem Sportswear Caricature T Shirt Samples. These samples are photos that measure 3.5 x 5.5 Inches. These were samples used by Salem Sportswear Salesman to sell their iconic t shirts to various retailers.

$5 each for 1st item, discounts are given for each additional item purchased.

Shipping is $3 regardless of how many are purchased.

If an item is sold out, chances are I have more. I will re-stock weekly.

If you are looking at purchasing more then 1 photo, please “Add to Cart” to have discounts for multiple items and shipping automatically applied.

Also, If you have some of your own and you would like to do a trade for some of ours? We would love that!!

Thanks!”

I had the Barkley shirt shown above. Keep in mind these are samples. I’m sure someone with a fairly basic skill set could figure out how to turn this into a t-shirt. They would also look cool just hanging on the wall in your garage.

The seller has quite the impressive collection. Have you been missing your old Bo Kimble, Los Angeles Clippers shirt?

The seller has you covered.

2. Phoenix Suns NBA Basketball Earrings Handmade GO SUNS

Well. Someone took the time to make these so you don’t have to.

I very nearly scrolled past this one without giving it a second look. I thought it wasn’t possible that there was a person on this planet outside of the seller who has, or would, wear these.

But during these new, weird pandemic times, I have been watching this show with my wife called ‘90 Day Fiance.’ There is woman on the program named Erika. Erika looks like this:

So those earrings look like something she would wear. How did I get from the Phoenix Suns to Erika on ‘90 Day Fiance?’ Yeah, I don’t know how the brain works, either.

3. 1977-78 PHOENIX SUNS TUBORG GOLD BANK BEER CAN CARLING NATIONAL 5 CITY NBA

Stuff like this is cool. Always cool. Endlessly cool, and forever cool. And the better price you can get, the cooler the item becomes.

Because you will inevitably be asked, the 1977-78 Suns finished 49-33 in the Pacific under head coach John MacLeod before they were bounced in two games in the Western Conference Playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. Walter Davis and Paul Westphal were both All-Stars and produced career-high scoring averages.

The seller has a lot of cans. Here’s a few I thought looked cool:

4. 1998 FIGURE ANTONIO McDYESS PHOENIX SUNS Action Figure

As far as NBA related items in the bobblehead/figurine universe are concerned, this is about as cheap as you’re going to get.

Firstly, if you have an office, you need to have a healthy supply of bobbleheads/figurines in that office. Don’t ever take a man seriously who doesn’t have a bunch of toys on his desk. I’m pretty sure Sun Tzu said that.

The Antonio McDyess item is interesting. I’m sure a great number of NBA fans don’t even recall that he was in Phoenix. Oh, sure. YOU remember. And YOU probably know the details of his tenure. But your buddy the Brooklyn Nets fan doesn’t remember that. Remind him.

McDyess was in Phoenix for a grand total of 105 games. At least a quarter of those are not worth mentioning. Remind yourself, and others, of opportunities lost. For a very reasonable price.

5. 1993 McDonald’s Open Munich Germany Phoenix Suns NBA Basketball Pre-Season Pin

I think pins are neat, but I’ve never been able to figure out the most satisfying way to display them. If you have figured that out, this is the buy for you.

Your defending Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns kicked off the ‘93-94 campaign by teaching Germans basketball. Generously, they received a first-round bye. In the semifinals they dispatched Real Madrid Teka, 145-115. In the championship game they handled Buckler Beer Bologna, 112-90.

Barkley was named MVP. The tournament existed from 1987-1999 but wasn’t played in all those years. The Americans won every year, but did have a couple of close calls. In 1990 the Knicks needed overtime to move past Scavolini Pesaro. A year later the Lakers defeated Montigala Joventut by just two points.

So the competition holds an interesting spot in the sport’s history. As a Phoenix Suns related item, the price ain’t bad.

Stay safe.