Editing Phoenix Suns (section)

===1976–1988: From success to scandals===
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Suns enjoyed several successful seasons including the 1981 Pacific Division title, making the playoffs eight consecutive seasons including an appearance at the 1984 Western Conference finals. Problems arose on and off the court in the mid-1980s. In 1987, the [[Maricopa County]] Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug-related charges, three of whom were active Suns' players [[James Edwards (NBA)|James Edwards]], [[Jay Humphries]] and [[Grant Gondrezick]]. These indictments were partially based on testimony from star player [[Walter Davis (basketball)|Walter Davis]], who was given [[transactional immunity|immunity]]. No defendants ever went to trial: two of the players went into a prosecution diversion program, while another received probation. Nevertheless, the scandal, although now perceived in many respects to be a [[witch hunt]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Sielski|first=Mike|title=Sielski: 76ers' Colangelo has seen trouble before|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20160124_76ers__Colangelo_has_seen_trouble_before.html|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=January 23, 2016|access-date=August 15, 2018|archive-date=August 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818084123/http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20160124_76ers__Colangelo_has_seen_trouble_before.html|url-status=live}},</ref> tarnished the reputation of the franchise both nationally and within the community. The scandal did provide an opening for general manager [[Jerry Colangelo]] to lead a group that bought the team from its owners for $44 million at the start of the 1987–88 season, a record at that time. With a drug scandal and the loss of promising young center [[Nick Vanos]], who was killed in the crash of [[Northwest Airlines Flight 255]], the franchise was in turmoil both on and off the court.

[[File:Kevin Johnson.jpg|thumb|right|Kevin Johnson was the Suns' point guard for 11 seasons]]