One fan traveled over 7,700 miles to check a lifelong goal off his bucket list and see the Phoenix Suns play on their home-court.
Brett Guerin is from Syndey, Austraila, but grew up rooting for the Suns from across the sea. From the time the Suns traded for Charles Barkley in 1992, Guerin was hooked.
“My favorite player as a kid was Charles Barkley, which is why I started supporting the Suns in the first place,” Guerin said.
He chose a prime season to start following the team as he witnessed the Suns second trip to the NBA finals and from there his fandom was solidified.
“That season was fantastic,” Guerin said. “The end still hurts. I can still hear the commentators when John Paxton hit that three and we lost in game six. I’ve really kept a close eye on them ever since.”
Fast-forward 25 years and Guerin finally had his chance to witness the Suns in person at Talking Stick Resort Arena. As he is beginning settling down with a family back in Sydney, he said is was either now or never.
“It was either now or in 20 years,” Guerin said. “I wanted to see Devin Booker while he was still in his youth, not a veteran. So I left Sydney last Friday, get back in Australia on Friday. So I’m gone for a week.”
Throughout that span he spent three days with the Suns. Two in Phoenix and one more as he traveled to watch the Suns face-off against the Lakers in Los Angeles. While in Phoenix, Guerin was treated with a locker room tour, player meet-and-greet and the opportunity to go down onto the Suns court.
“It was fantastic,” Guerin said. “What the guys here have done for me and getting to meet the players and get onto the court, has been fantastic.”
Whether it’s the Brisbane Bullets, who faced the Suns in preseason, or Brett Guerin, the Suns are proud to have their Australian fans representing the orange and purple from overseas.
As the Suns have continued their international connections to places such as Australia and Mexico, they join the league-wide initiative to expand global reach. With NBA All-Star right around the corner, the festivities will reach fans in 215 countries while being broadcasted in 50 different languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets.