SunsofEclipsethe HOW THE BIGGEST DRUG BUST IN PRO SPORTS HISTORY, JUST VANISHED INTO THIN AIR...
it was ugly to behold. For one thing, the case was apparently built largely on the word of players who may have turned on their teammates in order to save their own hides.
For another, there was the possibility that gambling was part of the sordid mess. That this nightmare was afflicting the Phoenix Suns, for 19 years the adored hometown heroes in a city with no other major league franchise, made the situation all the sadder.
Last Friday Phoenix law-enforcement officials announced that five current or former Suns players had been indicted for drug-related offenses and that six other present or former Suns players were linked to the case. The indictments returned by a Maricopa County grand jury charged nine men with 21 felony counts of possessing or trafficking in cocaine or marijuana or conspiring to do so. A 10th man was charged with obstruction of justice.
The City of Phoenix and the NBA are in shock over Walter Davis being admitted to a drug rehabilitation center Friday for substance abuse
Speculation immediately shifted to Suns 6-time all-star and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer - Walter Davis.
By April 8th, the Arizona Republic reported that Phoenix law enforcement officials were investigating possible drug involvement by members of the Suns organization.
On April 4th, Boston Globe columnist Will McDonough revealed that “The next professional sports bust will involve the Phoenix Suns.”
Davis, long considered one of the NBA’s good guys, had stunned the basketball world in 1985 when he entered a drug rehab facility to deal with cocaine addiction…
In the early months of 1987, rumors were running rampant of an investigation into an unnamed NBA franchise revolving around drug use and potential gambling allegations.
On April 17th, 1987, in a bombshell press conference at Phoenix Police headquarters, Chief Ruben Ortega announced that a grand jury had charged three current and two former Suns players with drug violations, among 10 indictments handed down.
Several other current & former Suns are also implicated, but no one, including those indicted, takes a bigger hit than Suns star Walter Davis.
Even worse, it’s revealed that Davis was given immunity for testifying before the grand jury regarding his teammates’ drug use.
Davis, whose name is mentioned prominently in 8 of the 10 indictments, admits to a cocaine relapse & re-enters a rehab facility in California.
The NBA is rocked to its core Nowhere more than in Phoenix, where the Suns, and especially davis, were (at the time) the only professional PHOENIX franchise & beloved by the community.
The drug scandal soon had a nickname - WALTERGATE!
The Arizona Republic also reported an allegation of a player providing gambling information in connection with the case.
The newspaper quoted an unnamed Phoenix police officer, who said that the investigation started in mid-February after Edwards, was alleged to have said that the point total in the Milwaukee/Phoenix game Feb. 21 would not exceed 226 points. Milwaukee won, 115-107, a total of 222 points.
Rumors swirled that the Suns would be relocated once sold.
The situation threatened the Suns very existence in Phoenix, as the team’s owners would put the franchise up for sale shortly after.
One of the former players implicated in the drug scandal—Johnny High —would die under suspicious circumstances shortly before he was to testify against former teammates & local figures involved in drugs.
As things went from bad to worse, Suns starting center Nick Vanos was killed in August of ’87 after Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed shortly after takeoff.
How much worse would the scandal get?
How would the Phoenix Suns survive this?
How would the players be able to share a locker room with DAVIS?
Phoenix PD—especially Police Chief Ruben Ortega, would be heavily criticized for the witch-hunt that ensnared several Suns players.
Not a single player would ever be convicted, serve a day in jail, or even fail a drug test.
Fast forward 1-year…
So what the hell happened....?
We will delve into the the investigation, the drug scandal, the Police Chief who never met a camera he didn’t like, and how the Suns organization recovered from quite possibly the worst 6 month stretch in pro sports history.
Featuring exclusive interviews with walter davis, jerry colangelo and many of the players involved.
