Ranking Former Suns Now Playing Abroad

As the Phoenix Suns get ready for their regular season opener against the Sacramento Kings, many of their former players are preparing for their seasons as well. They spent time with the Suns as role players, but now suit up in various countries. While their NBA careers may be over, these players still excel at various stages, from starring in China to playing in EuroLeague Finals.

Top 6 Suns Currently Playing Abroad

Honorable Mentions

Eric Bledsoe (Shangai Sharks, China): 13.6 points, 9.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds per game

Lorenzo Brown (Olimpia Milano, Italy): 7.0 points, 2.7 assists, 2.0 rebounds per game (Panathinaikos, Greece)

Sonny Weems (Shenzhen Leopards, China): 13.2 points, 5.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds per game

6. Jared Harper, Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel)

2024-25 stats: 20.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds per game

After joining Phoenix in 2019, Jared Harper struggled to find consistent opportunities in the NBA. He only played 16 games over three seasons, mainly starring on the Suns, New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans’ respective G-League sides.

But the two-time Second-Team All-SEC nomination with Auburn has restored his confidence and scoring ability abroad. First with Valencia, from 2022-24, before joining Hapoel Jerusalem. He enters the 2025-26 season after the best campaign of his career, winning MVP for both the Israeli League and EuroCup, while becoming the team’s scoring leader.

5. Langston Galloway, Esenler Erokspor (Turkey)

2024-25 stats (Trapani Shark, Italy): 12.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds per game

Langston Galloway has been a journeyman across his basketball career. He spent seven years in the NBA, which included 40 games played for the Suns during their 2020-21 season. At his best, he averaged double figures. First as rookie starter with the New York Knicks, and then with the Detroit Pistons right before the COVID-19 pandemic. At his worst, he would play a handful of games, barely averaging a basket per game.

Galloway had a couple of stops in Italy, which culminated in a runner-up finish with Trapani Shark in Lega Basket Serie A, just a year after the squad’s promotion. He would most likely be a back up point guard on the 2024-25 Türkiye Basketbol Ligi runner-up. But that does not take away from his progress, which includes representing Team USA at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup.

4. Archie Goodwin, Jiangsu Dragons (China)

2024-25 stats: 20.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game

Archie Goodwin has a solid three year stretch with the Suns. After averaging 3.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists in his rookie season, his production grew to 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game two years later. However, he only played 15 games during the 2016-17 campaign, his first away from the Suns, struggling to find stability with the Pelicans and the Knicks.

That instability continued abroad, where he did not spend more than one season with a team. That is until this year, where he is set to return to the Jiangsu Dragons after being one of last season’s key stars alongside former NBA players Frank Jackson and Terquavion Smith. Goodwin is still remembered for his college days with Kentucky, playing for Wildcat alumni side La Familia in The Basketball Tournament this past summer.

3. Marquese Chriss, Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin (China)

2024-25 stats: 20.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists per game

Marquese Chriss started his NBA career with promise. He averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in the Suns’ 2016-17 campaign, finishing seventh in Rookie of the Year voting. After his production dissipated in Phoenix, he had a dismal 2018-19 season with the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But he resurged with the Golden State Warriors, averaging an NBA career-high in points, assists and rebounds during the team’s injury ridden 2019-20 season.

After another decrease and a failed stint with the Dallas Mavericks, Chriss joined his current team, Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin. The squad’s top scorer, he led them to a 32-14 record in Chinese Basketball Association play, and a first round exit in the 2025 playoffs last season.

2. Élie Okobo, AS Monaco (France)

2024-25 stats: 11.7 points, 4.4 assists, 2.0 rebounds per game

The only international player on this list, Élie Okobo started his career in France, and was drafted 31st overall by the Suns in 2018. He played over 50 games in each of his two seasons in the Valley, and started 19 games overall. He also posted a solid 4.8 points, 2.2 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game.

While his production increased with the Long Island Nets, the Brooklyn Nets’ G-League affiliate, he went back to his home country in 2021, winning an LNB Elité championship with ASVEL and participating on France’s 2022 EuroBasket team. A move to AS Monaco followed, making him a starter on one of the best teams in Europe. Since joining the club, Okobo has picked up two more league championships, along with runner-up finishes in last year’s Leaders Cup and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

1. Mike James, AS Monaco (France)

2024-25 stats: 15.2 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds per game

Although Mike James had the shortest Suns stint among the players on this list, he did have the most impact. Signing in 2017 after five years abroad, he played 32 games, starting 10, during the 2017-18 season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds. Despite a midseason move to the Pelicans and three more years in Europe, James came back to the United States to play for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 7.7 points per game and starting a game against the San Antonio Spurs on May 12th, 2021.

But the former Eastern Arizona and Lamar point guard went back across the Atlantic Ocean, specifically to become a star with stalwart AS Monaco. He led the team in points, minutes and three-point attempts per game this past season—a year that ended with a loss to Fenerbahçe, led by current Sun Nigel Hayes-Davis, in the EuroLeague final. James will be looking to add to that, along with two LNB Elité championships, a French Federation Cup and a EuroLeague MVP as he starts his fifth season with La Roca.