NBA: Dan Majerle: Basketball meets Boygroup

Dan Majerle was an absolute fan favourite in the 90s, the prototype of a glue goy and a swarm of women. Thunder Dan has become a real legend with the Phoenix Suns, even if nobody in Arizona would have thought that at the beginning of his career – except his coach. He is 53 years old today.

Cotton Fitzsimmons couldn’t help it. The coaching legend of the Phoenix Suns simply had to smile in the spring of 2002 as he stepped onto the court of the American West Center. “I told you all. You’ll regret your booing,” the 73-year-old told the clapping spectators.

What had happened? Dan Majerle had just played his last NBA game. The fan favourite had returned to Arizona in the autumn for a final season, against the Mavericks his career now came to an end. 25 seconds before the end he had unpacked his threesome again and scored the 800 goals.

At his last replacement the forward with the number nine gets a standing ovation, 14 years before that would have been unthinkable. When Commissioner David Stern proclaimed his name on Draft Night 1988, he reaped only booing from Suns fans. Coach Fitzsimmons comment: “You will never boo this young man again, I swear to you.” He was proved right.

Majerle are only allowed 54 games in his rookie season, but the Suns are still extremely successful and are back in the playoffs after only 28 wins last year. Kevin Johnson in particular, who moves to Phoenix in exchange for Larry Nance, advances the franchise and gives them a new leader.

The pick of the Cavs, which is also sent to the Arizona desert on this train, is used by those responsible for Majerle. It is therefore difficult to overlook who will emerge victorious in this trade.

Despite Johnson’s qualities as Floor General, Tom Chambers under the basket and shooter Jeff Hornacek is in the Conference Finals but against the Lakers and Magic Johnson closing time. Majerle celebrates his personal coming-out party in the playoffs and raises his point average by five points to 14.3. His crashing dunks are celebrated by the fans – Thunder Dan is born.

In the next two years Majerle takes on his role as Sixth Man in Phoenix better and better, at Hornacek he takes lessons in the matter of threesomes. The advantage of the then 25-year-old: Because of his muscular upper arms he can also hit from far behind the triple line, not infrequently he releases a throw from the midline – and hits. Against the Charlotte Hornets he sets his career-high of 37 points.

“Once it gets hot, no one can stop it. Then it doesn’t matter where he’s throwing from. Today he has made it one of four meters behind the line,” explains his coach Paul Westphal, who replaced Fitzsimmons in the summer of 1992 and ushered in a new era in the Arizona desert.

Besides Westphal, Charles Barkley, another superstar, “The Round Mound of Rebound” changes everything.

With Majerle, Johnson, slam-dunk champ Cedric Ceballos and Barkley, the Suns are ready for a deep playoff run. Thunder Dan is now starting on two, as Jeff Hornacek had to leave the franchise as part of the Barkley trade. With 16.9 points he is not only the second best scorer of his team, he is also invited to the All-Star-Game for the second time in a row.

Against the Lakers after five games in the first round, the Spurs are also defeated after six games in the semifinals. Then the Sonics wait – and Majerle really steps into the spotlight for the first time.

After a strong series in which he delivers 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals and a block, Majerle explodes in game five. 34 points at the end behind his name. Shawn Kemp and Co. grab the next game, but in the end the Suns are in the finals against the Bulls.

In the first two games Thunder Dan is not on schedule at all, only one of eleven throws is sitting, the Suns travel to Chicago with two defeats despite their home advantage. The day before game three, Westphal is worried about a new tactic. The problem: Majerle is too busy with Michael Jordan in the defense, in the offense he usually runs out of breath, the strong litter has almost completely disappeared.

In the United Center Kevin Johnson takes over Majerle’s task, Thunder Dan can now also shine in the offense. He pours six litters from downtown to the Bulls, only Ray Allen breaks this record again in 2010. At the end there are 28 points in the match report, Phoenix can kidnap game three from Chicago. It’s not enough for much more, game five still goes to the Suns, then John Paxson shoots the Bulls for the first Threepeat in the nineties.

For Majerle, the 1993 finals were supposed to be the height of emotion with the Suns. The playoffs will continue in the next two years, but the finals will remain the maximum. Majerle is “demoted” back to Sixth Man after the commitments of A.C. Green and Wesley Person, but the fans still love him.

Phoenix’s number nine is particularly popular with female viewers, who freak out when Majerle enters the American West Center. If Majerle hadn’t become a basketball pro, he could have been part of a boy band. His popularity even earned him the starter spot at the 1995 All-Star-Game in Phoenix – as the first reservist ever.

Nevertheless his days are numbered in Phoenix, in summer he is traded to Cleveland for John “Hot Rod” Williams. He never really feels comfortable with the Cavs, so he leaves his contract in the summer and signs in Miami. Pat Riley already has two puzzle pieces with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway for his new master team, Majerle is to round off the top-class squad as Glue Guy.

South Beach is going like clockwork for the newcomer. With 61 victories, the Heat set a new franchise record, Majerle of all people is the one who caused the Bulls their first home defeat in 44 games with a threesome.

The Eastern Conference Finals will see Chicago again, but this time the Champs will make short work of Miami and win five games.

In the coming years Majerle and Co. will be regular guests in New York. Three years in a row you meet the Knicks, three times you leave the field as a loser. The 1999 lockout season is particularly bitter: The Heat, as the best team of the Eastern Conference, will meet the eight seeded underdogs from the Big Apple, but will be eliminated in five games.

Majerle, actually only used as a three shooter, has to start on the parquet due to the injury of Voshon Leonard. 2000 it is enough with him again for the second playoff round, there is again against the Knicks final station. Afterwards, the franchise disintegrates due to Mourning’s kidney disease, and Thunder Dan, who is no longer as fit as he was, also leaves Florida – and returns home.

One season the forward is still in Arizona, the franchise has no chance for the playoffs without a real leader. The now 37-year-old is leading his team once again in the triplets before finally retiring.

“I could understand the fans. After all, I was just a little white boy from Michigan, because nobody really knew anyone. I had to earn their respect first,” he explains after his career.

For the next few years he will be working as a TV expert for the Suns and will even be in the playoffs for TNT. In 2008, he switched to coaching and became assistant coach at the Suns. Thunder Dan also runs a restaurant in Phoenix, as he did during his active time. Meanwhile, there are four “Majerle’s Sports Grill” in the vicinity of the city. “I just wanted to create a place where sports fans could meet for dinner and follow the Suns,” he told Arizona Republic.

He is also a frequent guest at the Arizona Diamondbacks MLB franchise games. The highlight will certainly be the 2012 match against the San Francisco Giants when he casually grabs the ball from the air with one hand.

With the Suns, on the other hand, he threw himself overboard last year when he was not one of the candidates to succeed Alvin Gentry. Instead, he accepts an offer from Grand Canyon University. It leads the resident antelopes in its first year to a balanced balance (15-15).

He inoculates his players with exactly what distinguished him as a professional: hard work, defense and the unconditional will to win. The Suns have therefore been presenting the “Dan Majerle Hustle Award” for several years.

The franchise, which has already retired its number nine, explains this on its website as follows: “Dan is a prime example of everything that can be achieved with ambition and commitment. He always gave his all on the field and was the perfect glue guy for our team. That is why this award is named after him. His achievements will always be an example to others.”