The Phoenix Suns gained a fan in Massachusetts, and it all started with Steve Nash.
It’s the offseason. A time for reflection, renewal, and remembrance. How did we get here? Why are we fans? We’ll discuss that and more throughout the summer. You may ask how Bruce Veliz, who lives in Massachusetts, became a fan of the Phoenix Suns. Here is your answer.
Growing up in Massachusetts, it is tough to find someone like me. Someone who supports two teams, the one they have seen their whole life, and one that connected them to the sport they love. For people here, it is the home team or nothing, and that is very evident in how the fan base treats its own and others across the league.
That being said, when I arrived at the Valley media space, many people were probably confused about who I was. How did I become a fan? How can I support a team if I’ve never been to the state, especially for a game of theirs and more? Even though I may have come out of nowhere, I have always been a Suns fan, and that loyalty has remained true, dating back to my first time watching the sport.
How I Became a Phoenix Suns Fan
Before we delve into this story, I would like to provide some background information first. As a kid, basketball was never introduced to me. I am from a family that predominantly plays soccer on one side, and that was heavily influenced on me at a young age. That, adding onto the fact that I always watched football, baseball, and hockey with my dad, basketball was never shown to me. This all changed in the winter of 2007.
My family recently had moved, and I was starting first grade. With that, I had to go to my neighbor’s house every day before school. Since both my parents’ jobs began before I had to be dropped off, I was stuck in this situation. Every morning at 6 am, I would wake up, walk next door, and simply watch whatever I liked until 8:45 am when my bus came. Since I was the first person there every day and the oldest, I took control of the TV, and SportsCenter became a daily fixture for me.
This allowed me not only to catch up on the sports I was fascinated with but also to discover new ones. That one sport was basketball, and a guy who showed me that I could do the same as him. Back then, ESPN used to show full game highlights of every contest that aired every night, and this is where I saw the Phoenix Suns, but more importantly, Steve Nash.
Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
Nash, being the more undersized guard who not only set up his offense but also scored from all three levels, drew me into the sport I now passionately write about.
Just seeing someone who looked similar to me and tear up the league gave me his full support. Every day, I would rush to turn on ESPN to immediately find out if they had won the game or not. Since it wasn’t available to watch at home, this was the only way a seven-year-old me would consume his basketball content. I would check the ticker at the bottom to see the score, and sometimes it would appear before the game breakdown, so I’d look to see how it went well or poorly.
I instantly fell in love with the Suns and this new sport of basketball. I started playing NBA2K every time I went over to my cousin’s house, and I used the Suns only.
I started playing at my local YMCA the following year as well, to learn the basics of how to play to be the next Steve Nash. As I stand here now, that did not transpire. The following season, I went to my first Celtics game (remember, I live in Massachusetts), and this only confirmed my love for the sport. I started collecting basketball cards, acquiring sticker books as I grew older, and even began reading books about top players at the book fairs I attended. This would only fuel my love for the team and the sport as I grew older. When I was fifteen, I got my first Suns jersey, and it was a Nash one.
Unfortunately, when Steve Nash did get signed and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, my heart was broken. Not only was Nash gone, but he was traded to the team I despise the most, as the Celtics also have a rivalry with them.
Ultimately, though, I was a Suns fan and would remain one, as I knew the good would eventually come to the franchise. Fast forward almost 15 years, and sadly, the Suns do not have a championship. Even though that is the case, I am fortunate enough to now share my thoughts on something I grew up idolizing. That itself is a win for me, and if you had asked seven-year-old me if he thought this would be his life, he would have said yes, but not writing for basketball.
Something that I know now he would be super proud of. To think that a little kid’s dream has already turned into so much of an opportunity, and I am as small as I am now, makes me only want to push harder and give my best work in covering this team. They showed me what good basketball is, and I can only repay the favor with excellent coverage in return.
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