Suns Nite Hoops

These are exciting times to live in the Valley of the Sun! Perfect weather and great job opportunities combine to make the Phoenix metropolitan area one of the fastest growing communities in the United States. As critical as this growth is to the Valley’s economic vitality, it also presents important challenges in terms of dealing with increased crime, unemployment and broken families. To address these problems, a group of Phoenix-area community leaders united in 1994 to research the feasibility of developing a new program, which would assist young men in enhancing their education and employment potential. This "exploratory committee" compiled the basic structure of a Valley-wide midnight basketball league. The committee also ascertained that there was a need and desire for the program and adequate support in the community to fund it. By 1995 the Phoenix Suns created a community-based board of directors for the program, called “Suns Nite Hoops”, and Phoenix Suns Charities committed operational seed money. Suns Chief Executive Officer Jerry Colangelo agreed to serve as the Honorary Commissioner and Gerald Richard of the Phoenix Police Department accepted the position as the first Board Chairman. After much planning and preparation, Suns Nite Hoops, a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, started operations in 1996.