Tom Chambers

Money’s worth, for the fans in attendance at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, had likely already been received on January 27, 1989, as the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks traded blows in an offensively-friendly, fast-paced affair. Should there have been any doubt, though, Tom Chambers erased it during a late-game fastbreak sequence that continues to be discussed and rewatched nearly four decades later. In perfect position to turn his teammate’s well-timed deflection into a profitable two-on-one chance, Chambers unselfishly feeds a pass to his All-Star point guard before receiving it right back after Mark Jackson commits elsewhere. Introducing New York’s floor general to one of those trademark “grown man moves” that he famously narrates, Chambers soars through the skies — ascending high enough to get his knees nearly past Jackson’s entire frame — before finishing an awe-inspiring contact finish. Cinderella-like in their underdog story, Phoenix, a 28-win team in the year prior, kept the momentum of its eventual 55-win demonstration rolling with a high-scoring interconference win on January 27, 1989. The four-time All-Star fulfilled his role and then some, offering 36 points (on 14-of-22 shooting), nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.