Phoenix Suns fans voted John MacLeod as the franchise's greatest coach ever in a recent Arizona Republic poll. He received 49.7% of the vote, edging out Cotton Fitzsimmons at 21.4% and Mike D'Antoni at 13.5%. Alvan Adams, who played 12 of his 13 NBA seasons under MacLeod, recalled a defining moment that showed MacLeod's character. After a player complained coming off the bench, MacLeod told the team in the locker room he would never embarrass them on the court and did not want them embarrassing him or the staff. Adams said only one word fit: gentleman. He added that MacLeod was a gentleman to referees, players and everyone else in other settings too. MacLeod coached the Suns for 14 seasons, the longest tenure in franchise history. He holds the record for most regular-season wins with a 579-543 mark and led Phoenix to its first NBA Finals appearance in 1976. His playoff record was 37-44 over nine appearances. Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo shared how he recruited MacLeod from the University of Oklahoma in 1972. Colangelo tested him by asking him to address the team before a game with no warning. MacLeod handled it well, made good adjustments at halftime and earned the job offer that night. He initially declined but called back 48 hours later to accept. At the time, MacLeod had just led Oklahoma to an 18-8 record with Adams averaging 22.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. Colangelo said he gave MacLeod little information and said this is your baby, talk to the players. MacLeod did a terrific job and impressed even more at halftime. The Suns' last result was a 122-131 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 28, 2026. The team has lost its last five games straight. Fans can review the upcoming schedule on our [fixtures](/fixtures) page and check the current roster on the [squad](/squad) section.