The Phoenix Suns are an NBA franchise based in Phoenix, Arizona, that joined the league as an expansion team in 1968. The team’s visual identity has centered on a sunburst motif since its founding, a concept that has remained remarkably consistent across more than five decades of play.
Design and History
The original Suns logo was designed by Stan Fabe, a Tucson commercial printing plant owner, who created the first sunburst mark for a reported $200. The design was developed after the team’s owners were dissatisfied with a more expensive proposal from a commercial artist.[1][2]
The primary logo has changed only four times in franchise history. The most recent update came in 2013, when the team unveiled a new primary mark that changed for the first time in 13 years. The 2013 logo features a basketball sunburst over the stacked words “Phoenix Suns,” with a black backdrop and a simplified basketball similar to the one used by the team from 1992 to 2000.[3]
The same 2013 rebrand updated the popular “PHX” bird logo, which was originally introduced in 2000, with modernized flames, uplifted wings, and a basketball consistent with the primary logo. The team also introduced a new “S” logo combining the sunburst from the primary mark, and made the “SUNS” wordmark an accent logo. That wordmark, described as an ambigram unique among NBA teams, had been featured at center court of the team’s arena the previous season.[3]
The 2013 changes followed a redesign of the team’s home court the prior season, with the full logo and uniform transformation delayed by the league’s approval process.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The sunburst design directly reflects the team’s name and its desert home. The 2013 primary logo retains the basketball sunburst concept that has been a symbol of the team in some form since its inception in 1968.[4] The circular composition merges the imagery of the sun with that of a basketball, tying the team’s geographic identity to the sport itself.
Typography and Design
The 2013 primary logo uses stacked “Phoenix Suns” lettering beneath the basketball sunburst. The team’s “SUNS” wordmark, which became an accent logo in the same rebrand, is described as an ambigram, a design that reads correctly from multiple viewing angles, and was featured at center court where it could be identified by fans anywhere in the arena.[3]
In 2025, the team unveiled a Statement Edition uniform featuring a reinterpretation of the iconic Sunburst logo filled with a Valley-inspired gradient, along with a new bold “Phoenix” wordmark. The gradient was inspired by Arizona’s signature sunsets and “The Valley” City Edition uniform.[5]
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